When I first started weeding, I hardly knew what was a weed and what was not. I could identify roses and daffodils, tulips, day lilies, lily of the valley, and a few more, but not a whole lot more.
As I watched the landscape over the spring and summer, things popped up, proliferated, and came back the next year. I was cautious. I knew that 100 years ago, the land was farmed and managed by a great aunt who really knew her stuff when it came to wildflowers and other plants. So, like hunting for a long lost Declaration of Independence hidden in the back of a drawer, I searched the landscape for extraordinary plants.
It turns out, there were none. What grew there was an ordinary collection of suburban Philadelphia flora, some good — a few very shy trillium — some not so good — pokeweed, which some consider a weed and others grow intentionally as an ornamental — and some downright horrible — a collection of invasive Asian immigrants (see my previous blog, "Thugs in the Garden").
Since I spend so much time weeding, I thought I’d offer some random advice.
Know Your Weeds
There are many books and web sites that identify weeds. I’ve found “Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States” particularly helpful for the real thugs. Of course, it helps to know the name of what you’re looking for so that you can find a photo of the plant to compare with what you have. But most books and websites have photos that you can browse through. The advice of experienced gardeners, who are almost universally generous, is invaluable.
Pay Attention
It’s easy to get carried away. You’re busily pulling some vine or other, the mind wanders, and all of a sudden, you’re elbow deep in poison ivy or you’ve yanked something that you paid a fortune for a few years ago at the garden store and forgot about.
Go Out Early in the Morning
Before the heat of the day and preferably after a rain. Weeds are easier to pull from moist soil than from dry, baked ground. Follow the sun, or rather the shade, in summer.
Be Prepared
There will be bugs — mosquitoes and midges. I put on a Bert’s Bees anti-insect concoction, which seems to help. I also wear long pants, socks, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt (usually with the sleeves rolled up) when I’m doing heavy weeding in the field and woodland beyond the lawn. I know, it’s hot. But it’s protection against insects and prickles. I only wear gloves when I’m dealing with thorns, poison ivy, or mile-a-minute vine. I can't feel the plants and roots with gloves on.
Water, Water, Water
I mean drink it yourself. No need to say more.
On Compulsivity
Yes, you can just weed-wack weeds. But they will come back. Some are masochists and love being weed-wacked. I pull as much as I can, to get the roots. Pull slowly and carefully, otherwise, the stem may break and the root will still be there, ready to continue growing when your back is turned. Get them early, the more mature they are, the harder it is to get all the roots. In plants with rhizomes, it's impossible.
Prioritize
I will never get rid of all the weeds in my landscape and neither will you. They're hardy and determined, which is why they've persisted for so long. But there are some, the thugs that crowd out everything else,and the strangle vines, that have my attention. I will certainly never eradicate fiveleafed akebia or Japanese honeysuckle. But each year I have a goal to push them back further, starting from the edges, and, of course, rescuing rhododendrons, laurel, and any other legitimate plant from their clutching tendrils.
After Work
I always take a thorough shower, even if it’s cool and I haven’t gotten sweaty or muddy. I also examine my body as thoroughly as I can. We have a substantial resident deer population that brings with it deer ticks, carriers of Lyme Disease. I’ve had it twice and it’s not fun. Vigilance — and I mean vigilance, dear ticks are distinguishable from a speck of dirt only with a magnifying glass — helps.
Above All, Enjoy
Yes, it’s work, but satisfying work, good for the body, good for the soul. A great stress reliever and workout. Don't kill yourself. Stop while you still have time to sit back and enjoy. And so it won't hurt as much the next morning.
Since I spend so much time weeding, I thought I’d offer some random advice.
Know Your Weeds
There are many books and web sites that identify weeds. I’ve found “Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States” particularly helpful for the real thugs. Of course, it helps to know the name of what you’re looking for so that you can find a photo of the plant to compare with what you have. But most books and websites have photos that you can browse through. The advice of experienced gardeners, who are almost universally generous, is invaluable.
Pay Attention
It’s easy to get carried away. You’re busily pulling some vine or other, the mind wanders, and all of a sudden, you’re elbow deep in poison ivy or you’ve yanked something that you paid a fortune for a few years ago at the garden store and forgot about.
Go Out Early in the Morning
Before the heat of the day and preferably after a rain. Weeds are easier to pull from moist soil than from dry, baked ground. Follow the sun, or rather the shade, in summer.
Be Prepared
There will be bugs — mosquitoes and midges. I put on a Bert’s Bees anti-insect concoction, which seems to help. I also wear long pants, socks, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt (usually with the sleeves rolled up) when I’m doing heavy weeding in the field and woodland beyond the lawn. I know, it’s hot. But it’s protection against insects and prickles. I only wear gloves when I’m dealing with thorns, poison ivy, or mile-a-minute vine. I can't feel the plants and roots with gloves on.
Water, Water, Water
I mean drink it yourself. No need to say more.
On Compulsivity
Yes, you can just weed-wack weeds. But they will come back. Some are masochists and love being weed-wacked. I pull as much as I can, to get the roots. Pull slowly and carefully, otherwise, the stem may break and the root will still be there, ready to continue growing when your back is turned. Get them early, the more mature they are, the harder it is to get all the roots. In plants with rhizomes, it's impossible.
Prioritize
I will never get rid of all the weeds in my landscape and neither will you. They're hardy and determined, which is why they've persisted for so long. But there are some, the thugs that crowd out everything else,and the strangle vines, that have my attention. I will certainly never eradicate fiveleafed akebia or Japanese honeysuckle. But each year I have a goal to push them back further, starting from the edges, and, of course, rescuing rhododendrons, laurel, and any other legitimate plant from their clutching tendrils.
After Work
I always take a thorough shower, even if it’s cool and I haven’t gotten sweaty or muddy. I also examine my body as thoroughly as I can. We have a substantial resident deer population that brings with it deer ticks, carriers of Lyme Disease. I’ve had it twice and it’s not fun. Vigilance — and I mean vigilance, dear ticks are distinguishable from a speck of dirt only with a magnifying glass — helps.
Above All, Enjoy
Yes, it’s work, but satisfying work, good for the body, good for the soul. A great stress reliever and workout. Don't kill yourself. Stop while you still have time to sit back and enjoy. And so it won't hurt as much the next morning.
Posts
This post makes me glad that I live in a condo and therefore have no "garden" for which to care. I wouldn't last out there for ten minutes!
ReplyDeleteI think it's meditative, pulling all that stuff out of the ground. I can see why people get into it. Gives you a chance to think while being productive and not risking that you'll just fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteLast summer, my wife made me go to the farm we own a share in-- community supported agriculture and all of that-- for an opportunity weed potatoes and squash.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't even seem remotely fun to me; driving three hours to slave in the hot sun. But I got out there and began weeding and something came over me: I couldn't stop pulling up weeds.
My wife keeps looking at me wearily, an expression of obvious misery on her face, but I was in the zone. I wish I could predict when I'm going to find slaving in a garden enjoyable and when I'm not. You really have to start to find out.
Later all the volunteers drank fresh herbal tea and ate cobbler. I slept like a baby that night.
I had a landscaping job for three year as a teenager. The thing I hated the most was pulling up weeds by hand in ornately landscaped yards and commercial enterprises.
ReplyDeleteGive me a gas powered weed wacker and a pair of shades!
Sorry, Ms. Proofreader, but I'm sure you have other activities that you enjoy.
ReplyDeleteJenn and Rob --
ReplyDeleteYes, it is meditative and addictive. Time sure passes quickly, particularly when there's a lot to do. It beats battling bureaucracy!
Sorry, Kemuel, I'm too much of a purist. But my kids, on the other hand: George won't do much of anything unless it involves electricity or motors. Hannah's an expert weed wacker, but also weed puller.
ReplyDeleteTrina - I really enjoyed this. Your choice of words is lovely, as usual. My favorite line is 'I pull as much as I can, to get the roots'.
ReplyDeleteDid you really have Lyme Disease twice? What happens when you get it?
Memoirs --
ReplyDeleteI just felt lousy with flu-like symptoms and had a funny bump with an inflamed circle around it. The doc said the circle wasn't typical (it wasn't at all like the inflammation that my husband had when he got Lyme Disease), but the doc did the blood test and it was positive. If it's caught early, Lyme doesn't do much damage, but it can do real harm to the joints, nervous system, and heart if it's let go. Several weeks on an antibiotic cure it, but I've heard that there's a spirochete that stays in the body, kind of like Chicken Pox. Here's the CDC website on Lyme Disease: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Lyme/
I enjoyed this post, Trina, and I liked how you titled it "Advice on Weeding" instead of "Advice on Gardening," which is what most people seem to call it, even if they are just pulling up weeds! Your writing has great character :)
ReplyDeleteTrina: A great post! I too think weeding can have be somewhat therapeutic ... as long as you don't mind getting some dirt under your nails. Are there any weeds you recommend keeping around for awhile? After those choke vines, what do you recommend tackling next?
ReplyDeleteNicole --
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind comments. I'm no where near as expert as the real gardeners that I know, but I do know a little bit about weeds. No sense exaggerating.
Kristen --
Dirt under the nails is just part of the drill. As to plants that others abhor and I don't mind: dandelions and clover. Dandelions are perky and bees are in enough trouble without ripping out clover. These are generally considered lawn weeds. Ideally, in the interests of the environment, we shouldn't have much lawn at all. Setting priorities for what you rip out in what order really depends on what weeds you have and how much damage they're doing. It's hard to give advice (for whatever it's worth) at a distance.