A weed is a plant out of place. Goldenrod is not a weed, unless it is out of place. Elms, maples, basswoods, and Ohio buckeyes can be beautiful trees, but they are major weeds in the garden as seedlings because they are out of place.
Many oak seedlings in my garden are not necessarily out of place. I often let them grow for several to many years, especially if they are white oak seedlings…in my view the most beautiful large deciduous shade tree in Minnesota. Over the years I can always decide if and when these “oaklings” become weeds.
I enjoy weeding. It is harder every year to manipulate the body in as many directions as it used to be, but I try. Weeding causes the weeder to view garden plants up close. One can better see individual plants amid neighbors.
The best time to weed is after a three day rain such as we have experienced in the Twin City area this week. The ground is deeply moistened…dandelions don’t have a chance. Yesterday, I weeded alone at a client’s grounds made beautiful by the homeowner’s arrangement of evergreens, but plagued with weeds big and small, volunteers and those planted by mistake.
Some plants are by habit called weeds. Others are wonderfully weedy, but not really a weed, for they almost are never out of place. They just spread and occasionally must be, well, contained. A good example is evening primrose. My Minnesota garden would never be without evening primrose, “Oenothera fruticosa.”
Evening primrose likes garden life, so it enjoys enlarging its space. It will grow and bloom in nearly any manner of light, soil, and average moisture without any interference from the gardener. One will always know where the plant is, for it hides nothing underground as does horrible weeds such as Creeping bellflower or Quackgrasses. When one sees evidence of their presence in the garden, it should be understood the real evil is already running all over underground looking for other perennials to hook up with. The results are not at all pretty.
Yesterday, with the moistened Earth, I pulled over two dozen huge, deep rooted, mature dandelions and got every one of them, root and all. What pleasure. (Such joy must be similar to the enjoyment our local feral cat feels after cleaning our gardens of chipmunks, and rabbits, except, unlike some “nature” people, I don’t eat dandelions.)
I control weeds in my small lawn area with fertilizer plus type grass “food” applications. Otherwise, I have not used other plant killers in my landscaped garden. I do alot of pulling while I enjoy my stroll along the garden paths.