At this point in the summer, I’m not yet bringing out the big guns when it comes to the weeds. As the 4th of July holiday reminded us, independence and liberty demand considerable sacrifice. And the weeds that are our particular nemeses at this time of year require careful strategy and forethought before any declarations of war are made.
Even the majestic burdock is menaced by the grasping grapevine.
Sure, many gardeners think of weeds in terms of battle. Some people even study the tenets of “The Art of War,” or purchase scary scythes, flamethrowers and poisons to combat them. “Kill it with fire” memes appear in Facebook gardening groups.
So how about trying to use less pugilistic, more psychological methods this time around? Call it energy-efficient, a copout or what you will. I’m not advocating appeasement of weeds, or joining them because I can’t beat them. But perhaps a détente, or temporary cessation of hostilities until peace talks can be negotiated?
Creeping Charlie looks so demure here.
The frightful fecundity of vines this year has been turbocharged by our ridiculous quantities of recent rain. Grapevines, poison ivy and multiflora rose have all been proliferating in various areas of my yard and garden, and hosting their usual pest friends, the mealybugs and spotted Lanternflies, to make themselves even more of a nasty threat. Unsightly, certainly. But life-threatening? Not quite yet.
So rather than getting all in a lather about this green menace, I am trying out diplomacy first. There are certain weeds I must admit I actually enjoy pulling—in moderation. Creeping Charlie for instance has a fresh, herbal aroma that nostalgically reminds me of my grandmother’s place in Iowa. Burdock is rather statuesque when you contemplate it. (Though preferably from afar, as those burs can be quite annoying, to pets especially.) And Golden Alexanders have that umbellifer charm and can even be quite useful in some places.
Not exactly welcome, but at least violets are less obnoxious than many other weeds.
Before giving up and ordering the flamethrower, I’ll keep trying to stave off my uninvited weed-interlopers with low-impact guerilla gardening strategies. A few strategic snips can separate the aggressive vines from their power source without much effort. Goats would be interesting, but in their absence I’ll do my best to get the grazing effect by mowing that poison ivy in the lawn- an unwelcome first this year.
And there can be a considerable sense of satisfaction in pulling a 14-foot grapevine out of a tall shrub or tree. Like peeling an orange in one go, or removing a tick in one smooth motion (don’t get me started). And like many of the less-pleasant tasks in life, it is the right thing to do, if not generally easy.
Recently I visited Federal Twist in Stockton, New Jersey and have been reading James Golden’s enjoyable book about the making of his idiosyncratic garden. He talks about choosing ‘strong plants’ to stand up to the thugs that tend to bedevil our cultivated plots. Sort of makes you think of staffing every security desk with commandos, or bringing firepower to a wrestling match? But hey, it works for him. Maybe next year?
Mowing poison ivy in your lawn?! Yikes. You must not be too sensitive to it.
Lucky for me I don’t consider creeping charlie and violets weeds.
Yes, exactly! Couldn’t agree more.
Poison Ivy is the one weed that I will ALWAYS declare war on. Not one tiny piece is allowed anywhere on my 1/3 acre of land. I think my skin can blister if I just LOOK at that evil weed.
I’m with you. For years I patiently (more often impatiently) pulled thuggish Adenaphora from my perennial beds. Also common milkweed, which I had consciously planted in wilder parts of my garden. (Monarch butterflies, for the most part, never read the memo, but milkweed is a handsome plant even though its aggressive in garden settings. ) For the past few years, as age and many tasks crept up, on me I increasingly just let them go, pulling only to protect their milder mannered neighbors. Does it leave perennial beds looking a bit unkempt? Yup. Does it save a lot of backache and heartbreak? Double yup. And I’ve decided violets are groundcover.
Right on— it’s all about choosing your battles, when the “underdogs” are those desirable plants we choose to cultivate. Hope you’ve reached a happy cease-fire.
I will never, ever understand putting violets in the weed category.
Did you see the number of seeds on that one? And they are dispersed by ants, slugs and ballistic propulsion. At least on the B team of uninvited garden guests.
Regardless of what you said, I love how you said it.
Thank you, happy weeding!
The flame throwers for weeds don’t work very well anyways. I got one for my husband and he went to town on our gravel driveway, which was full of weeds. They only came back twice as lush.
My Mom has a spotless garden, free of any weeds. To be fair, it is walled so she doesn’t get weed seeds blowing in like I do from my neighbors who cultivate the weeds in their beds and then have a roving man who whacks and then blows the debris onto our property every month or so (this is what he thinks taking care of their debris looks like… he is not a professional).
I’ve given up on having a garden with no weeds but I yank up some handfuls while I’m thinking or planting something else in the garden, or do a once over once or twice a year per bed. We have sand soil so they come up pretty easily. Although this year for the first time birds seem to have dropped bindweed seeds because I have found baby bindweed plants in a few places and managed to get their still tiny root system up. Their introduction makes me think I should weed more often though!
I have just overcome after years of work (as much as one can) an infestation of knotweed so of course the gardening gods are bringing me bindweed.
Aha, that’s good to know about the flamethrowers. Seems that the “sure fire” methods of weed control tend to backfire on us. Good luck with the bindweed!
Any experience getting rid of lily-of-the-valley?
I don’t have the heart to pull that one—the scent is just too heavenly. Best of luck to you!
I ise a flamethrower! It doesn’t work on big weeds, but torches smaller ones- and grass, too, but you have to give it a frw seconds. Also keep an eye on dry mulch.. and also your shoes!!
Good to know! So do you find that the convenience and usefulness of it outweighs the danger factor?
Lily-of-the-valley has galloped across large sections of our yard, nudging aside more delicate things in its path. Something of a thug! I am trying to discover a way to get rid of square yards of it, a way that is easier than digging each little plant out on its own. I may have to just dig away.
Have you tried solarizing under clear plastic? Or burying it under a couple of layers of heavy cardboard and a thick layer of garden waste / compost?
Wait–someone considers GOLDEN ALEXANDERS a weed? A beautiful native perennial, and host to the gorgeous black swallowtail butterfly? Absolutely NOT a weed!
I know, right?
One man’s or woman’s weed is another man’s or woman’s weed.. sigh.. I am continuing my war against the ivy here in Virginia.. along with other various menaces… violets.. and other vines… endless.. and they are winning. Too busy with my weak little dog and this unrelenting heat to keep up this year. Perhaps in the fall?
Ene
Yes, cooler weather would help a lot, right? And if only our pets could pitch in once in a while..
Our gardener’s dog used to eat cleavers….
Had to look that up. Aren’t cleavers/goosegrass rather hairy and sticky? My dogs will munch on some grasses for digestive purposes; maybe they’ve been missing out on something yummy?
Volunteer mulberry is the bane of my existence, along with tree of heaven, horsetail, creeping Charlie, lamb’s quarter, purslane, nutsedge, Indian hemp, Canada thistle, bindweed, pokeweed (the seeds of which can remain viable in the soil for 40 years), etc. I’m also trying to eradicate some things I planted – yucca, trumpet vine come to mind. I resort to spot treating what I can with Roundup. Larger weeds I cut down and treat the stump/stem by brushing on a concentrated herbicide. Some hand weeding is required, though. And no poison ivy allowed, even though it is beautiful in the fall. I’m working on densely planting natives to choke out many weeds, which works well once the plants are established. But then THEY start spreading where not wanted. Gardening is a never-ending process.
I have privet, burning bush, honeysuckle, stilt grass, Bradford pear and multiflora rose from previous owners. Then there’s various tickseeds, goldenrod, thistle, bindweed, sedges, reeds, and other natives that grow where I’d rather they didn’t. The entire place would be taken over by maple and poplar trees if I let it. It’s a constant battle. I leave the poison ivy alone except in the flower and vegetable beds. There’s too much of it to control and I don’t want to even get that close.
Leaves of three, let it be! If only the birds didn’t keep spreading the darn stuff everywhere.
That is for sure! Good luck with everything.
Great article—‘weed diplomacy’ feels like a smart, middle-ground way to treat plants. Instead of banning everything or letting chaos rule, it finds room for balance.
If you’re thinking about ways to let “weeds” become allies, USA Garden Hub has ideas on landscaping without grass—turning parts of your yard into pollinator-friendly zones or low-maintenance ground covers.