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| Clematis integrifolia 'Mongolian Bells', Orlaya grandiflora and Alyssum markgraffii |
The clematis is definitely NOT a weed for me (although my buddy Keith keeps potting them up from all over his garden: including let's hope a white one). The other two, however, self sow quite a bit. The alyssum isn't quite as welcome to do so, but Orlaya--seed on!
There are weeds I would NEVER want to be without--and some I never will be without so I might as well love 'em....and may I suggest a weed isn't always such a bad thing.
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| Orlaya grandiflora |
I have featured Orlaya several times before on this blog,
notably in 2012 about the time I first got it. Unlike the corn poppy--which finally disappeared from my garden, this seems to go from strength to strength and is showing up in more and ore places. The roots and stems are so delicate--and the flowers so large that it's harmless to neighbors, and doubly welcome wherever it shows up. I envision this carpeting my whole garden one day, and I shan't mind too much!
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| Teucrium botrys |
I am mystified that this is the only photograph I seem to have in my files of this remarkable germander: I shall rectify the situation tonight--it's ALL over my garden and going to decorative seed as I type. A biennial with a surprisingly demure first year rosette. It makes a dome of bloom the next year that's not exactly earth shattering in beauty, but not unattractive. And when it goes to seed it's rather fetching. Best of all, it covers GROUND that would be other weeds (and is extremely easy to pull and control). Which is why these desirable weeds are so useful in large gardens: they use up the Lebensraum that would otherwise be REAL weeds! And did I mention it emanates an amazing scent of fresh pineapple in all stages of its growth? Who can resist a pineapple germander?
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| Iberis taurica |
What could be lovelier than this tuft upon a wall? Turn your back, however, and soon your whole garden will be swamped, as you can see from the picture below.
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| Iberis taurica |
I otnly it smelled as pretty as it looks! Unlike so many heavenly scented crucifers, this puts out a blend somewhere between swamp gas and dirty socks. And it insists on growing right next to--nay, UPON your choicest plants: it took a year or two but I managed to get rid of MOST of it...believe it or not the picture below was taken of the same spot, only a few years after eradication....
You will notice a few of them persist...I didn't have the heart to remove EVERY one: I keep trying to get them to grow along the path, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, they want to grow up with the choice stuff. So I battle on........
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| Papaver dubium |
Te uninitiated see this and go "Oh how pretty: can I have some seed?" Those who have allowed this into the garden know better. But once it's in, just TRY and take it out. The roots are so feeble and the stems so delicate I more or less have given up trying to eradicate it...
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| Papaver dubium |
Yes, there are a few flowers in there....but LOOK at those fat seed pods! Each with several million seed, all of which will germinate and be in bloom before you know it will be in seed AGAIN! Stick to the other poppies if you have any sense. There IS a bicolor form of this species growing all over Albuquerque I'm almost tempted to grow (misidentified
as P. rhoeas in a blog from there)...but so far sanity prevails.
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| Verbascum roripifolium |
There are a handful of plants I regard my "signatures"--plants I encourage to pop up any and everywhere. I don't think I need to mention
Verbascum bombyciferum, which I have perhaps overdone. But THIS verbascum with first year rosette like lacy green doilies scattered here and there erupting into that enormous hairdo of wiry stems with sizeable yellow butterfly flowers produced more or less nonstop all summer. And did I mention that it shivers and trembles with the slightest breeze?
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| Verbascum roripifolium |
All of these "weeds" scamper and proliferate among my more discrete treasures--and lets not forget the larkspur in several weedy, annual species, the horned poppies and a dozen other plants that return year after year with no effort. A weed is very much in the eye of the beholder!
"...swamp gas and dirty socks..." ROFL.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about weeds lately. A few days ago, I watched hired-garden-mercenaries weed whack an entire border full of oriental poppies and blooming garden phlox. The workers then deconstructed and removed a boulder wall and a flag stone border. As they were hauling away thousands of dollars of choice boulders, I asked one of the workers what they were going to do with the rocks. He replied with a dismissive, “Yah, yah” which I took as him not understanding my question because he did not know English. I wondered if the new neighbors had any idea of the value of the boulders they had removed. Boulders that I had coveted for years and now watched being carted away. I wondered if the new neighbors will regret their decision next spring when torrential rain sends water and soil towards their house with no wall to hold it back.
ReplyDeleteI have not met the new neighbors because of the corona virus. I don’t know why they are systematically removing all their gardens and putting in lawn. The only reason that makes any sense to me is they would rather spray and mow lawn than pull up the field thistles in the garden bed. I have seen before where weeds have led to the destruction of gardens. This happens, not because the weeds over take the gardens themselves, but rather because people determine removing them is not worth the effort. They choose a dry-hot-sterile lawn that must be mowed and treated with chemicals over spending a few hours pulling weeds and having beautiful flowers, butterflies, and birds.
There is no accounting for stupidity, James: I wish you'd arranged to get the rocks they carted off! What a sad tale...
ReplyDeleteI shall have my own problem with neighbors soon if the Church that's being sold next to me sprouts a giant apartment complex as I fear.
Even if I had not let my second language skills dissipate into nothing, I doubt I could have arranged to acquire the rocks for anything less than top dollar. I’m sure the landscapers that took the rocks knew their value. They were surely laughing as they drove away thinking, “It’s like the bank paying us to come haul away all their money.”
ReplyDeleteI’m sure my new neighbors are nice people. They just did not know what they possessed. Without the gardens in the way, it will now be easier to hold a beer while walking around mowing the yard.
Sorry to hear the church next to you is being sold. Churches tend to be much better about gardening than apartment complexes.
I was wrong before. My new neighbors did not put in more lawn. The hired help covered the garden with weed fabric and mulch. I guess they wanted to make sure the oriental poppies and garden phlox would not come back. I probably should be happy that they did not put in AstroTurf, like some of the other people in town. At least not yet.
ReplyDelete