"Weeds"

[Manalto]

Here are a couple of North American native plants blooming now. Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) is a tall plant, but variably so. I've seen them towering over my head in wetlands; this one in my garden tops out at about four feet. The bees will not leave them alone! It's an uninvited guest that's well behaved, so it gets to stay.

Joe Pye Weed 0123 by James McInnis, on Flickr

...and there's Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) which, despite its name, has bees on the guest list. I planted a packet of seed about 10 years ago, of which this plant is a survivor. Other plants threatened to shade it out and, most recently, I converted this bed back to lawn. The person who mowed for me while I was away was wise enough to let this plant survive. I'll move it after the frost; they have a tuberous root (hence the name) which makes them a cinch to move when they're dormant.

Butterfly weed by James McInnis, on Flickr

These plants need a better PR agent. I don't see them as weeds at all, but welcome additions to the garden, looking their best when many other plants are beginning to wane.

[Olson185]

To a large extent, a "weed" is often that which a homeowner didn't intend to have grow, doesn't know what it is, or there's just too much of it. Anything in the mint family seems to be labelled a weed. It can get out of control so we tend to put it into pots and harvest it as we use it.

At one of the first homes I owned, there was peppermint or spearment (I forget) growing all along the front of the porch and I had someone call the City for a yard upkeep violation (it was about 4' deep x 15' wide). I trimmed it back to 2' deep and gave the Code Inspector some, as well as, all of my immediate neighbours (which probably included the one that complained).

On Long Island, people consider clover to be a weed because it interferes with the obsession for astro-turf-like manicured lawns everyone seems to want (and is willing to pay $100's/yr. to maintain). Clover is hard to find but we have it and I hope it takes over the terrace (green strip between sidewalk and curb).

I will avoid purchasing invasive flora but, if it's already in the yard, I'll tame a couple/some if I like it for some reason.

The odd thing about invasive flora, for Long Island, is that they're readily available at nurseries but native flora tend to be difficult to find. Go figure!

[Greenwood]

I laugh because I bought a Joe Pye weed last year for my mother and worked hard to keep it healthy. She remembered the plant from the family homestead. Not a weed for us!

[Manalto]

On Long Island, people consider clover to be a weed because it interferes with the obsession for astro-turf-like manicured lawns everyone seems to want (and is willing to pay $100's/yr. to maintain).

Until WWII and the advent of chemical fertilizers, it was standard practice to include Dutch White Clover (Trifolium repens)in lawn seed mixes because clover is a legume and fixes nitrogen, from which the grass benefits. I happen to like the look of clover in the lawn, but it certainly doesn't comply with the manicured standard you describe that has become the ideal for many.

The odd thing about invasive flora, for Long Island, is that they're readily available at nurseries but native flora tend to be difficult to find. Go figure!

Remember that a nursery can only grow a plant if it will survive - and thrive in - container culture. Recently, I bought a fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), a native plant that's notoriously difficult to grow in nursery conditions, for $30. It was the size of a chopstick.

[Lily left the valley]

I have Pye envy, James. The one tall variant we had in the backyard was not Joe Pye. It turned out to be Solidago canadensis.


We have some other tall "weeds" that I'm still waiting to see what they yeild. I keep thinking they won't get any taller, and they prove me wrong. It might be tall thistle, but I'm still not sure.

I know a lot of folks see the Flea Bane we have as a weed. I love it.

[Olson185]

Burdock! As a kid, we would have burdock fights (who needs velcro darts?). My grandmother used to talk about preparing it during the Depression but it's not something we ever ate. The flower is okay but the plant is ugly when the season is over...and dead plants seem to hang around forever. I'd call this one a weed though, if I were in a more arid area, I might go for it...a little...maybe.

[Mick_VT]

Burdock root can be used for making soda

[Manalto]

I have Pye envy, James. The one tall variant we had in the backyard was not Joe Pye. It turned out to be Solidago canadensis.

This one is also known as goldenrod and has gotten an undeserved reputation for causing allergies. (It happens to be in bloom when ragweed, the culprit, is sneakily spewing pollen into the air.) Joe Pye is easy to transplant, so if you find a healthy stand of it, move a chunk to your yard and you'll have some. It likes a sunny spot with plenty of moisture, but is pretty adaptable.

[Olson185]

Burdock root can be used for making soda

Baking or soda-pop?

[Mick_VT]

Baking or soda-pop?

Soda - it's delicious!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion_and_burdock