A weed by any other name

The word ‘weed’ is one that I try to avoid using generally, though in the case of this post it would be tricky to discuss the word without mentioning it.

There are two main reasons I try to avoid it when talking about plants generally.

Firstly, whether a plant is considered a ‘weed’ depends very much on context. Grass in a lawn is desirable; grass in a flowerbed needs to be ‘weeded out’. Similarly, the Lady’s Mantle below looks great in a flowerbed …

… but it’s not so good when it’s growing up through my paving stones, as shown below.

 The other reason is that many of the plants that I actively encourage are considered as weeds by many other gardeners. Very often they will remove these ‘weeds’ and replace them with pricey hybrids and alien plants. Yet, when given a chance, many weeds are very attractive – as evidenced by the wood dock flower shown below, growing up through one of my tutsan bushes, along with some grass flowers.

 The other thing to bear in mind is that because native plants have evolved to fit the environment they are in they tend to be more vigorous (successful) than introduced species. This can be a double edged sword. On the one hand it means they will do very well from year to year and spread quickly. On the other hand, they can take over if not controlled.

But that’s what gardening is all about.