In every garden, there are good seedlings and there are bad seedlings. Do you know how to determine if a seedling is good or bad? Let me help you figure it out by about some example seedlings in this first picture. Right there in the center is a seedling for a smokebush, Cotinus coggygria. Now you might see that and say to yourself, "How wonderful! Mother Nature has provided me with another smokebush. Where shall I plant it?" And you would be wrong in saying that. Instead you … [Read more...] about Good Seedlings and Bad Seedlings
weeds
Purslane
I had to laugh when I received a sample of a new ornamental purslane earlier this spring from PanAmerican Seed. This is Portulaca oleracea 'Toucan Fuchsia', not to be confused with Purslane-the-Weed, also Portulaca oleracea, but without the beautiful flowers. Long-time readers of my blog—and I do mean long-term as in those who read it in the aughts—may remember that purslane is a weed that likes to take over in my vegetable garden about this time every summer. I first wrote about … [Read more...] about Purslane
Post Weeding Press Conference
Transcript of a Post Weeding Press Conference... Carol, we noticed you spent almost two hours weeding today with just one break. How do you feel? I feel good. No particular aches or pains. I was able to get up and down easily and managed to finish my goal of weeding all along the fence in the Vegetable Garden Cathedral. What kind of weeds did you find out there? Oh, the usual. Lots of purple dead nettle, plus veronica, which I was tempted to leave because the flowers are so blue. But … [Read more...] about Post Weeding Press Conference
New Words for Different Types of Weeding
Say "weeding" in the presence of gardeners and watch their smiles turn to frowns. Then step back as they all begin to tell their favorite weeding stories, always using the verb "weeding." Well, let me add a little spice to the conversation by adding a few new verbs to describe the many different ways in which we weed. These are in no particular order. Teeding When you are tediously teasing out tiny weeds from amongst tiny plants, this is called teeding. An example of teeding is … [Read more...] about New Words for Different Types of Weeding
Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do
What do you mean, I didn't plant this? This is none other than the nicest clump of fleabane, (probably Erigeron annuus), a common weed, that I've ever grown. It's blooming in the garden, acting for all the world like it belongs there, like it was I who planted it. I will let it go for now. It's kind of pretty. Plus, there are for more egregious weeds to pull before I yank this out. But I shall not let it go to seed! (Much) Elsewhere in the garden there are ox-eye daisies, … [Read more...] about Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do
I must not allow
I must not allow this redbud tree seedling to continue to grow and take over this flower bed. I will cut it out today.I promise.Ugh. Such an ugly picture. I am only showing it here to illustrate how if you do not attend to your flower beds by removing tree seedlings, you'll soon see small trees everywhere.I do realize that some gardeners like to keep the tree seedlings that randomly show up in their gardens. Goodness gracious. If I kept every tree seedling that rooted … [Read more...] about I must not allow
