A few days ago, the temperatures dropped into the 70's. The first day or two, my allergies and asthma flared up and I wasn't up to doing anything. But on the third or fourth day, I took a notion to go out and do some weeding. There was a section of front yard under an evergreen that the lawn service didn't mow. I guess because a third of that area has Tiger Lilies growing. Anyway, I grabbed my gardening gloves and my pruners and headed out.
The weeds were near 4 feet tall. And there was quite the variety there. It bugged me a little that I didn't know the names for most of them. I worked for a good solid hour or more on a patch of land about 7 feet by 4 feet. It felt good to be productive. I ached for two days after, but it sure looked nice!
But not knowing what those weeds were still nudged the back of my mind. So I looked them up. Oh, I knew some of them: thistle, clover and creeping charlie. I love to learn new things and research them, so this was not work for me. I found the names for the following weeds:
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| Henbit: a cousin to mint |
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| Mallow: Hollyhocks evil cousin |
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| Ragweed: 'nuff said |
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| Wood sorrel: a member of the shamrock family |
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| Black Medic: a thrifty little yellow-flowered clover |
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| Cocklebur: One of the hardiest weeds known |
I had never seen Cockleburs in our yard before. There were only two plants in that weedy mess, but they were the worst to deal with. I was so glad that I was wearing my super-duper gardening gloves! I was able to easily pluck off the few burs that stuck to my gloves and shirt.
An interesting little project--at least from my point of view. With Autumn moving in upon us, I also cleaned the dead lily stalks and cut down the dead peony stalks. I think I left my summer daze behiind me--for now.
I always think of my sins when I weed. They grow apace in the same way and are harder still to get rid of. ~Helena Rutherfurd Ely, A Woman's Hardy Garden, 1903
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