It's Spring

Time to establish some new garden beds (yes, this one's been neglected).

So someone tell me what kind of weed this is, please. I've never seen a weed flourish like this with no authorization. Should I be afraid to go to sleep?

Now can you see why I was a little afraid to go to sleep!?



There's been a few yellow blossoms that the bees like, otherwise I'm going to have to call this one a weed which must die.

that looks like a mullein joy.  they are really a wild flower but considered a weed as their roots spread and are dangerous as they crowd out of plants. 

Many of my friends grow "weed gardens" intentionally. Many "weeds" (wildflowers) have beautiful blooms and require little or no maintenance. They are also favorite hangouts for honey bees and hummingbirds.

I grow chives and catnip in pots on my patio... they are constantly renewing themselves, and the chives are great to put in meals and on hamburgers and my cat loves the fresh catnip! Both are "weeds", btw

Maybe transplant those unknown plants to a separate garden area and then watch and see what they turn into rather than killing them. They may not be pretty now, but they still serve a purpose environmentally. If one or two get out of control, move them to a local forest or trim them back, just like with Lillies and other "bulb" plants that you giveawy to keep the overcrowding down.

Just some food for thought



-DF

That is absolutely beautiful DF.  I am glad you enlightened us on the subject.  About catnip can you grow it from seed or how do you do it?  i want to try it.

that looks like a mullein joy.  they are really a wild flower but considered a weed as their roots spread and are dangerous as they crowd out of plants. 

Thank you for that information Cat, there have been a number of not native plants show up in my back yard. It's good information to know just how invasive it is.

Maybe transplant those unknown plants to a separate garden area and then watch and see what they turn into rather than killing them. They may not be pretty now, but they still serve a purpose environmentally. If one or two get out of control, move them to a local forest or trim them back, just like with Lillies and other "bulb" plants that you giveawy to keep the overcrowding down. -DF

Fish, I don't think that moving them to a wild habitat is ever a good idea. The invasives destroy the natural, native growing plants and could potentially take over entire areas.

According to Oregon's Native Plant Society this one is considered invasive so no setting it free. I don't really like the way it looks so I'll be taking it down. I noticed while I was looking through the list that the Foxglove that bloomed and the Butterfly Bush I want to plant are also invasive to Oregon.

I'm surprised I didn't see that Love In A Mist (from my other yard post) isn't on the list, that stuff spreads like wildfire and is native to southern Europe. It's very pretty, but I've eradicated it from the yard too.

I'm going to have to call this one a weed which must die.

You have inspired a Stephen King micro-novel.

THE WEED THAT MUST DIE
Greg and Janice had been wondering for some time. How come so many unexplained deaths in their neighborhood? There had been so many. Investigators were baffled.

The young couple realized to their horror one day...a large tall weed in their yard was strangling people and pets.

In a heart-beat...it became the weed that must die.

Mullen is a weed but it is used as a tea to clear mucous from the lungs and help breathing. It sometimes grows beside the road here. I think it is a pretty plant in its proper place, not in the garden. 
I like the scots definition of a weed, a weed is any plant growing where it doesn't belong. Some weeds like chickweed and dandelion are edible. Some flowers are edible and really quite good. 

A lot of weeds are herbs, use for medicinal purposes like Yarrow.

Years ago, Natives, settlers, depends on plants and trees to keep them healthy in more ways than one.

I grow Yarrow myself and it has a nice soft pink tiny flower that grows on one stem, like in bunches, I have an image of what my yarrow look like ... below.
http://wellnessmama.com/7106/yarrow-herb-profile/