“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
Consider the spiderwort. Flowers of the loveliest blue, opening every morning and closing in the afternoon. Graceful, grass-like foliage, tinted a teal green. Hardy, trouble-free, and eager to fill your flower beds with color all year long, here in central Florida. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Except, it’s considered by most to be a weed. An annoying invader that needs to be destroyed at all costs. Out, out, damned spiderwort! You can probably see where I’m going with this. At my house, spiderworts are allowed to grow and bloom where they will, unless I need the spot for something else. Why not? They’re beautiful, and fill bare spots perfectly. And unlike some actual garden plants I’ve been given, they don’t spread so horribly that I need a backhoe and a drum of Agent Orange to eradicate them. Prolific, but not obscenely so. Therefore, I smile at their pretty blue faces every morning, and enjoy them, until I need to replace them with a new rose or flowering perennial.
So what “weeds” are welcome in YOUR yard? I’m sure many of you are growing native plants here and there, and by some standards, most of those are considered weeds, too. Just as my spiderwort is a native, so is my seaside goldenrod, a tiny purslane called moss rose, a volunteer scarlet morning glory, and a few others. Most are welcome for now. They tend to be hardy and often provide food for birds and other wildlife. I’ll share some pictures of other “weeds” I love tomorrow. In the meantime, I’d love to know what’s volunteering at your house.
Who's Your Granny? 