Weeds or Flowers?

Way, way back when I was in college studying horticulture, I learned the definition of a weed.  I know, you are now thinking... the study of horticulture sure isn’t “rocket science”!  And you would be right, although we did have to learn all the scientific names of trees, shrubs, flowers, and houseplants-- most of which I have long since forgotten.  But I still remember that the definition of a weed is:  a plant out of place. 
So, these dandelions in my front yard are not weeds.  I love them and think they are beautiful!

Blooming in mass... or singly in a macro photo, aren’t they pretty?

However, the same dandelions growing in my Phlox 'Miss Lingard' are out of place and will have to be pulled. (Even if they do look pretty with the Grape Hyacinths!)

So will this one which is growing in our little woods.  It just doesn’t belong with the Sweet Woodruff and Sensitive Ferns.

The little woods by our house has many special wildflowers, which I’m planning to tell you more about in future posts.  However, sticking to our topic of weeds versus flowers, let me tell you about a plant that is definitely a weed.  It's called Garlic Mustard and it’s out of place for several reasons.  First of all, it’s not a native plant.  It came from Europe, and now in the United States it is considered an invasive, aggressive species by the USDA.  Once it gets started in a woodlot, it tends to choke out less vigorous native wildflowers.  Besides the obvious result of having less desirable wildflowers, it has a detrimental effect on native butterflies as well.

Garlic Mustard in bloom.

 So I try to keep it out of my woods.  Every spring, I try to take an hour or two to pull out any I see, just as it begins to bloom. That way, I keep it from going to seed and spreading.  Doing this each year, I’ve managed to keep it pretty well under control.

Here's a patch of it before weeding:

And the same area after I weeded out the Garlic Mustard.

Luckily, it's fairly easy to pull! By the way, it is edible and does, as its name suggests, smell and taste like garlic.  So if you like that, you can weed and have the makings for a salad at the same time.

Ruby says, “No weeds here!”

However, this flowerbed needs a little work.

Ruby with a Fringed Bleeding Heart, a plant native to Pennsylvania

Now Ruby’s on the hunt for Garlic Mustard in our little woods.  None here, but the White Trillium are starting to bloom.

Grammy, there are a bunch of Garlic Mustard down below the bridge!

Okay, Ruby, we’ll get to work on those later.  Thanks for your help!