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Thursday, 29 July 2010 11:43

Written by Doug Oster

I blogged about bindweed and we started talking in the comments section about weeds in general. To the right is common dayflower and for years I pulled it out because....it was a weed.

But what's not to love about the pretty blue flowers that this plant produces?

I decided to let it grow and I'm glad I did, the flowers sparkle in the sun.

I love this quote from James Russell Lowell, "A weed is no more than a flower in disguise."

That says it all, here are some more quotes about weeds, it's all in the way we look at plants.

If dandelions were hard to grow, they would probably be prized for their lovely yellow flowers and wispy seed heads. I talk a lot about dandelions, because I eat the greens, they are the most nutritious plant on the planet. Ironic isn't it, all the money spent on trying to eradicate them.

One of the worst things we do as gardeners is using chemical herbicides. The common one to kill dandelions and other broadleaf weeds is called 2, 4-D. It's a derivative of Agent Orange and I don't care how bad the weeds are, I don't want to be around that.

Another advantage of letting some weeds come to fruition is creating a habitat for good bugs. They'll love a wild corner to live in.

The bindweed has to go, the vines are destroying my garden, but there are many other weeds that are not only beautiful, but functional too.

Do you have any weeds that you let grow?

Comments (2)

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written by myreply, July 29, 2010 - 05:45 PM

Doug asks if we have any weeds that we let grow:

Yeah, those "ratty" purple salvia look like weeds, and I'm lettin' them grow. I'm hoping for a miracle - that's how come I use Miracle Gro on them.

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written by Liz, August 16, 2010 - 03:28 PM

I let clover bloom before pulling it up, and this year Queen Anne's Lace showed up from out of nowhere. It's so lovely that I haven't touched it.

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