Could you please identify this weed it’s quite invasive and spreads quickly. The soil is clay and it is growing in the shade of a cedar hedge! We have not seen a flower. It’s 1 foot tall and wide . It’s growing just North of TBG.
Hello, and thank you for writing, and your photo.
Your plant specimen has simple leaves, with what appears to be a basal arrangement, a hairy root with a secondary plant emerging, and hence could possibly be in the Saxifrage Family. If so, a common denominator among the Saxifrage (a perennial, biennial) is their creeping rootstocks, which, of course, lend themselves to easy propagation. Without flowers for identification, this could be one of a many species of this wildflower found in Southern Ontario. When you have a chance to see their blossoms, then you should be able to distinguish between Bishop’s Cap (Mitella nuda), Two-leaved Mitrewort (Mitella diphylla), or Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) a few of the more common varieties.
If you have only seen this plant under your cedars, and depending on where they were transplanted from, this plant could possibly have hitchhiked in the cedar root ball soil. We note that you called this plant a weed — and by rights it could be considered an uninvited guest. But perhaps you might be interested in transplanting the clump to say, a large pot, to see what develops, flower-wise. You could then send a follow-up photo to Toronto Master Gardeners, for a confirmation ID. Thank you!