Weeds

Dandelions and other weeds in the garden

It’s said that Nature abhors a vacuum. No where is that more apparent this year than in my garden. Every vacant spot has been filled with weeds.

Last year’s long warm fall and this spring’s early arrival helped not only my plants but the weeds as well. A late frost damaged the foliage on several of my shrubs and trees. But the dandelions? Hah! They just laughed and just kept on growing.

I was already behind in my weeding from last year when a job-change and a stretch of 100+ degree days made it impossible to keep up. This year hasn’t been much better. I’ve been diligently weeding for seven straight weekends and I'm just now starting to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. (Or is that another dandelion?) 

Like many gardeners in this economy, I have the added burden of a vacant house next door. While the lawn is mowed, nothing is done about the weeds. And all the dandelions had just gone to seed the last time it was mowed.  As my house is the first one downwind, I’m expecting another bumper crop later this summer. Any dandelion aficionados out there willing to come and take them away? They’re free to a good home....

Below are my tips for beginning gardeners. Remember, weeds are every gardener’s dirty little secret. We all have ‘em. So let's get out there and fight the good fight!



This is what happens when you don't get
the entire taproot. The weed just regrows.

-- Weed early and weed often. Get out there as soon as the ground is safe to walk on. Leave no stone…er, plant, unturned. Weeds will hide in crevices, under bushes and in dying bulb foliage.

Don’t stop weeding in the fall until everything, and I mean everything in the garden is dead. Weeds can keep growing for a surprisingly long time. Remember, a weed pulled in the fall is one less weed in the spring.

-- Don't let weeds go to seed. If you can’t immediately remove the weed, at least remove the seed pods. Do not left it go to seed. You will regret it. Maybe not today, but soon and for the rest of your garden’s life.

I’ve always been a bit lackadaisical about self seeders and that has come back to haunt me – big time.

Early last year, I left a few of the Queen Anne’s lace that had blown in over the backyard fence. Now, it has seeded itself all over the place, especially in my day lilies and ornamental grasses. Queen Anne's lace may be nice in bouquets but it’s a thug in the garden! And every plant has a deep tap root that is difficult to completely remove.

-- Mulch, mulch and mulch some more. This will help keep weed seeds from getting the light they need to germinate. It also will make it easier to remove those weed seeds that blow in, at least until their roots grow through the mulch.

How much will you need? If you’re comfortable with numbers, multiply the width times the length, to get square feet. Multiply that by the depth of the mulch desired to get cubic feet. (Two to three inches is good for suppressing weeds.) Divide that by 27 to get cubic yards. You can also check out www.mulch-calculator.net.

-- Best organic solution? All of the above. Supposedly boiled vinegar works, but you need to re-apply several times, according to what I’ve found on the Web. My garden is organic but after fighting some particularly nasty weeds for years, I’m seriously considering using Roundup or another herbicide in some spots.

-- Weed after a rain or water before you weed. Those intruders will be easier to pull/pry from wet soil. That’s especially true if you have lots of weeds with tap roots and/or the heavy clay soil so prevalent in the Chicago area.





My favorite weeding tools

-- Choose your weapons carefully. There are almost as many different types of weeders as there are weeds. Be sure to find one that feels comfortable in your hand. The two of you will become very close over the years.

I mostly rely on something called a Dutch hand hoe, a Hori Hori Japanese knife and a metal rod with a notch at the bottom. There are plenty of alternatives though. (Note: If you are left-handed, there are specialized weeders made for you.)

-- Know your enemy.  Everyone, of course, recognizes dandelions (taraxacum officinale). But do you know your chickweed (stellaria media) from your purslane (portulacea oleracea)? What's the best way to keep them from crowding out your precious perennials? Does it have a tap root?

There are lots of links on the Web that can help you identify and fight the various weeds you'll find in the garden. Check out these from the National Gardening Association and the Weed Science Society of America. The University of Illinois Weed Science program has an extensive database as well. And here's a good photo gallery from Michigan State University. Want to focus on just the top 10? Mother Earth News surveyed gardeners nationwide and published the results here last year.

Do you have any tips on weed control in the garden? Does vinegar actually work? Any other organic methods you would recommend? Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.

By Karen Geisler

Bastard Balm

Meet melittis melissophyllum 'Royal Velvet Distinction.’

It has small orchid-like flowers, a regal sounding name and a plant patent. So you'd expect it to have a great pedigree, right?

Nope. Its common name is Bastard Balm. Yes, you read that right. It’s a wildflower native to the U.K. and found all over central and southern Europe. Some European garden designers apparently look down on it as a result.

As an herb, it is used to treat anxiety, wounds and kidney problems. Exactly how it got its common name is (ahem) unclear.

This particular variety is more compact and has larger flowers than the species, according to a patent filed by its developer, Eleonore de Koning of the Netherlands. The violet purple and white flower color also is different from that of its parents and the leaves are a slightly darker green.

Its flowers still bloom in whorls around the upper part of the stems, though, a particularly delightful effect.

Royal Velvet Distinction in my garden

While initial listings for this plant said it was only hardy to USDA zones 6 or 7, it’s now being grown and sold in the Chicago as zones 5 - 9. That makes sense given that it’s a member of the always vigorous mint family.

Royal Velvet Distinction gets about 18" tall by 18" wide, likes full sun or light shade, and blooms from late spring to early summer.

It attracts butterflies and, as you might suspect with a botanical name from the Greek word for honey bees, it attracts them as well.

The leaves are a bit fuzzy and smell like lemon when rubbed. They supposedly remain that way even when dried.

I’m always a sucker for fragrant plants. And it looks like it would be perfect for a woodland garden. I couldn't resist buying it recently when I discovered it at my favorite nursery. I have it planted next to some Max Frei geraniums (geranium sanguineum), Tara dwarf prairie dropseed (sporobolus heterolepsis) and a Frosted Violet coral bells (heuchera).

Granted, the flowers aren't particularly big. And from what I've found on the Internet, it may take the plant a few years to settle in before it gets particularly floriferous. I'm willing to wait, though.

If nothing else, it should be one heck of a conversation starter.

By Karen Geisler

M-O-T-H-E-R in the Garden

Million bells or Calibrachoa 'Cali Star Pink''

"M" is for the million bells she gave me.

Hosta 'Queen of the Sea'

"O" means she's original and likes her foliage bold.

Hosta 'Tears of Joy," a miniature

"T" is for the tears when she first saw me

Bleeding Heart or
Dicentra spectrabilis 'Gold Heart'

"H" is for her heart of purest gold.

Blue-eyed grass or Sisyrinchium angustifolium 'Lucerne'

"E" is for her eyes, with love light beaming.

Rosa 'Wisley 2008,'  a David Austin rose

"R" is for the rose she'll always be.

Put them all together they spell

"Mother"

A word that means the world -- and the garden -- to me.

(With apologies to poet Howard Johnson)

 

By Karen Geisler