So what exactly is a weed? Is it a plant that has weed in its name: goutweed, dockweed, chickweed? Not entirely. There are plenty of weeds that have seemingly innocuous names. Multiflora rose sounds pretty — many flowers. And it’s a rose isn’t it? Roses aren’t weeds. Well, they are when they take over everything in the landscape. Multiflora is considered an invasive.
Most plants have had some use at some point in history. And many so-called weeds have beneficial effects. Some repel insects and can be placed to protect other plants subject to those insects. Some are edible. Dandelions can be used in salads or made into tea. And some are poisonous — deadly nightshade, hemlock (beneficial only to those with suicidal or murderous intent).
Some common plants, such as English ivy, are considered weeds or even invasives, although ivy is carefully cultivated in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I keep it in check but I haven’t torn it out. It’s very useful: evergreen, covers bare spots, no fuss, it just does what it does without any attention from me. And I hope that it distracts my neighbors from the mess that is the rest of my landscape. (My neighbors’ yards, unlike mine, are all elegantly pruned, trimmed, and regularly nourished, but that’s another story.)
The standard tongue in cheek definitions of weeds are:
- A plant the use of which has yet to be discovered.
- A plant obsessed with sex (they do seem to grow much more vigorously than many plants purchased at some expense from the plant store).
But my favorite definition of a weed is a plant that’s growing where you don’t want it. In that case, it could be poison ivy or a broad-leafed grass in the middle of the lawn. Or it could be an antique tea rose.
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I guess weeds, like other things in life, depends on ones perception. I am reminded of the saying, one man's trash is another man's treasure. I would imagine to a botanist or a herbalist there are many plants that are useful that ordinary folks would call weeds.
ReplyDeleteI went to Belize earlier in the summer, and Birds of Paradise flowers grow there "like weeds." The people there think it's funny we would pay for them! They really were everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI'm partial to ivy myself. But you're right about keeping it in check. If you don't trim, it grows every which way.
ReplyDeleteI have a book called Edible Weeds. My friends teased me for pulling up random plants in my backyard and stirfrying them-- it was chickweed; it was in the book! Yet, I don't think there's any difference between eating chickweed or lettuce/spinach/kale (i.e. something that is "supposed to" be eaten) except for the name. In fact, I learned that chickweed is quite nutritious.
ReplyDeleteKemuel --
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely -- treasure, poison, depends on the perspective. As Nicole wrote, a lot of weeds are very nutritious.
Jenn --
ReplyDeleteLocation, location, location. In this area, ivy is considered invasive. In upstate New York, it isn't. There, it doesn't have enough of a warm season to climb trees, so they don't worry about it.
Proper --
ReplyDeleteThe real problem with ivy is that it can do real damage to trees, as can many other vines. We had a Tulip Poplar that was so smothered in vines that we had to lop off the top. It looked quite strange for a while -- a flat-top -- but it's recovered.
Nicole --
ReplyDeleteYes, there are a lot of weeds that are edible, quite tasty and nutritious, even, although my husband thinks they all taste like hedge. If you ever want a dockweed salad, let me know. We have lots. Perhaps I should borrow your book and see what we have that's nutritious. I could set up a stand.
And then there's kudzu...
ReplyDeleteMercifully, kudzu is one that I don't have. Of course, it may turn up at any moment.
ReplyDelete