I'm from rural west central Illinois and just this February moved
from a farm into the town nearby. I truly miss my wildflowers!!! I,
like you, love the combination of the chicory and Queen Anne's lace.
I'm lucky, though, because the people who purchased our farm are
dear friends and my horses are still living out there. So I can pick
my wildflowers anytime I like. As soon as any of the wildflowers
start blooming I'm making bouquets and my fiance is amazed at how
they turn out. Frankly, I think they are more beautiful than garden
grown flowers!!! So, I'm a huge YES for wildflowers!!
In My Garden Blog
Northern & Central Midwest
August 13, 2009
By
Kate Jerome,
Pleasant Prairie, WI
Queen Anne's lace is beautiful, but not in my vegetable garden!
Weeds in Your Garden?
So, you say you have weeds. What exactly is a weed? Basically it is any plant that's not wanted or that's planted in the wrong place. Sounds simple enough.
But, one person's weed might be another person's wildflower. Right now the crystalline blue chicory is blooming along with the creamy Queen Anne's lace, one of my favorite combinations. Add the bright orange "roadside" lilies which also bloom now and you have a magnificent combination. Although as much as I love seeing these along the roadsides, I don't want them in my yard.
Weeds are often a major focus of our energy in lawns and in flower and vegetable gardens. I love the methodical meditation of weeding, but not when they get so numerous as to overwhelm the other plants or when the soil is so dry that it won't let them go.
Life Cycle
One thing that helps in weed control is understanding and working with a plant's life cycle to avoid unnecessary frustration. Weeds are classified as either grassy, like crabgrass and foxtail, or broadleaf, like creeping Charlie and dandelion. They can be annual, like purslane, or perennial, like plantain.
Annuals
Annual weeds germinate, set seed, and die in one year. Some germinate in spring and are finished by fall; others germinate in fall, overwinter, and set their seeds in spring. Preventing annuals from going to seed by removing them before they set flowers is the primary method of control.
Perennials and Biennials
Perennials come back year after year and you have to dig them by the roots to kill them. Biennials such as Queen Anne's lace and garlic mustard produce a rosette of leaves the first year and then a flower stalk and seeds the second year, after which they die. The key to reducing biennial weeds is stopping seed production in the second year.
I've become very weed tolerant, although in some situations, the weeds compete with more desirable plants for sun, nutrients, and water. I do control my weeds in the vegetable garden for this reason. On the other hand, I pretty much leave the lawn weeds alone.
Controls
Chemical control need not be the first line of defense. If weeds are controlled when young, all it takes is a hoe or a hand-pull. In turf, it's more important to establish healthy, thick grass by mowing high, watering deeply about once a week, and fertilizing regularly without overdoing it. Perennial weeds can often be controlled by simply pouring vinegar or hot water in the crown.
If you do decide on a chemical control, make sure you know what you are using and that it is appropriate for the type of weed you are controlling. Spot treating is always better than widespread spraying.
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Comments on Weeds in Your Garden?
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We welcome your questions and comments about this column. If you have gardening questions unrelated to the column, please ask them on our message boards.
Karen Simon
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Eileen
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I am from Chicago, and fortunate to have a large garden.
I love the wildflowers (never even thought of as weeds....)
the chicory lives, even in my grass. When it is mowed, it comes
back quite small, and makes me smile.
Queen Anne's lace is bountiful, not only in the garden (and quite
lovely in my vases...giving the flowers that needed lacey
glamour....but along every curb and vacant lot in the city.
God's gifts to the city is what I call these treasures!!
Ron
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Some of my favorite plants in my yard began as weeds. I let an aster
go in my vegetable garden, moved it later and now it is beautiful. I
let swamp milk weeds grow in many places because the monarch
butterflies use them. Cinquefoil grows among my tomatoes with no
problems. I've learned about many plant varieties because they
started as weeds and looked interesting enough to look up.
www.daleharvey.co.nz
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Dear Kate, How brave to admit one's passion for the'lowly' weed! Few
gardeners appreciate that most of our garden treasures once were
weeds somewhere else on Earth. One of my most treasured life moments
happened while traveling the country roads of central
Wisconsin,featuring miles of glorious parallel ribbons of fragrant
daisy white chamomile, Heavenly blue chickory, Queen Annes Lace,
backed with tall yellow parsley and hemlock in a display so grand
that only Nature could create! I was so impressed that now
these'weeds' always have a place in my New Zealand gardens. Many
thanks for your caring!
Ginny MacDonald
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I am searching for information about invasive English Ivy which
climbs trees and possibly will kill them in a few years. Is this
true? We have common ground in our neighborhood which has lots of
ivy climbing high into the branches and I have been told it will
kill the trees if not removed. I'd love your input. Thanks
Kate
Ginny - English ivy can become a weed when let go as can so many of
our ornamental plants. It's always critical to know the
characteristics of any plant before introducing it. In my area,
English ivy is just marginal enough that it stays put.
Unfortunately, the only way to really control it is with an
herbicide. It is a woody plant, so a brush killer is necessary,
short of hand pulling which is prohibitive when a large area is
consumed. Good luck with whatever method you choose.