Tough Little Plants and Evil Twins

One tough little plant that I may have underestimated in my garden is the strawberry begonia. It's also known as a strawberry geranium, but is neither a begonia nor a geranium. This little guy loves to creep around my garden and sends out little babies in every direction.  It puts out delicate little flowers in the springtime.

I'm amazed that it's mostly sold as a houseplant. I left a few pots of them out in my garden during the winter, and was surprised to find them living and thriving after all those freezes we had. I wouldn't have thought the ones planted in the ground would have survived the prolonged cold. It seems, though, as long as they receive plenty of shade and rich moist soil, they are happy.

Don't you hate weeds that look just like the plants you are trying to grow? Have you ever saved and nurtured a plant only to find some sort of ugly green flower instead of what you thought you were growing? Have you been tricked into pulling out something you intended to save because it looked just like the weeds you were attempting to eradicate?

Yeah, so have I. Look at the similarities between nasturtium and dollar weed. When I am in a frenzy of weed-pulling, I could easily grab a handful of nasturtium before I realize what I'm doing. I have lost so many gerber daisies, because they look just like a nasty weed that grows here. I'm sure every cherished plant has an evil weed twin bent on its destruction.