One of the most despised “weeds” in the lawn is the dandelion. All sorts of chemical companies offer ways to get rid of them and get your “perfect” lawn. It’s too bad that we seek to eliminate this little flower because they have so many healthy benefits! What is a Dandelion good for? I’m glad … Read more
Weeds are one of the most troubling elements of gardening that gardeners face. A gardener’s definition of a a weed is simply a plant you don’t want in a place you don’t want it! Which means that even desirable plants can become a weed pest in the wrong place. Gardener’s want simple and easy ways … Read more
It is inevitable. You will find a weed somewhere in your lawn or in your garden. As things begin to grow this spring you’ll notice weeds coming up where you don’t want them. In fact that is the general definition of a weedy plant – a plant that grows where you don’t want it! Any plant can … Read more
It’s been a few weeks since I last mentioned a notable weed but I can tell you that doesn’t mean the weeds haven’t been growing! Ragweed and Johnson Grass are coming up in force with the warm weather and so is the weed I’m about to talk about today – pokeweed! Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is … Read more
It that transitional time of the growing season where the spring weeds are coming to an end and the warm season weeds are beginning to arrive. This time of year is also when many of our warm season crops and plants are coming up too. Sometimes it isn’t easy to distinguish between a weed and … Read more
I had one of those extremely busy weekends. The kind where you have so much to do you don’t know exactly where to start. When you finally do start you discover that to do one task you have to do another task first. Then when you finally get going you move from one job, to … Read more
I couldn’t help but snap the picture below. It’s white clover and it’s in my lawn. What lawn companies will tell you is that this little beautiful green plant that grows in patches is a weed. Don’t believe them. Clover is a useful little plant in many ways! First of all clover is a legume. … Read more
Every now and then I’ll be writing a post about the common weeds that we find in our yard and garden. I’ll save these posts for Wednesdays so we can have a bit of a creative alliterative effect by calling it “Weedy Wednesday”! I won’t be writing about weeds every Wednesday but I feel that … Read more
The complete and total elimination of garden weeds is every gardener’s dream! And to do so organically or naturally just makes it all the more thrilling! While I’ll share with you some methods for eliminating weeds naturally for The Friday Fives, please keep in mind that the battle with weeds is perpetual struggle between gardener … Read more
The shovel, the rake, and the hoe. Three tools no gardener should be without. Ever. They dig, they grade, and the chop the earth. They cut roots and aid the gardener in tilling when the tiller is kaput. While they take a little muscle to use they are capable of great deeds, such as Bermuda … Read more
Every gardener has an enemy, a nemesis, an evil villain that lurks in the garden that the garden would love to eradicate. I’ve had an invader this year that has been more aggressive than ever before – Bermuda grass. Once it gets a foothold in the garden it is extremely hard to hold back, let … Read more
A couple weeks ago a representative for DuPont contacted me and asked me to review one of their products. It was a weed control fabric (DuPont Garden O.N.E® Biodegradable Weed Control Fabric). I was skeptical about it at first (since weed control fabrics and myself don’t usually get along) but I said go ahead and … Read more
Coming soon to a lawn or garden near you … Henbit (Lamium amplexicauli)! The cover-all-lawns-with-purple-spring-color ground cover. If you’re tired of the green look – consider purple. It’s easy care with absolutely no maintenance and pollinator friendly! You don’t even have to plant it as henbit will find its own way to your lawn. It’s … Read more
I found it. I finally found it. The First Outdoor Bloom of 2010 Today while working outside for the first time in weeks I saw a little yellow bloom peeking out from the edge of a raised bed in the vegetable garden. It’s not much but it’s a flower nonetheless. And it may not even … Read more
From afar the garden doesn’t look too bad and fairly typical of a garden in December. Dead branches, bare bushes, and fading perennials are all common this time of year. But there is something in these garden areas that I’m disappointed in and it’s my fault…weeds! The winter weeds are creeping into every garden all … Read more
While I didn’t intend to talk about weeds today I was out weeding the vegetable garden last night and had some thoughts on the weeds that I thought I would share. Worst Weed Wednesday was last week but with weeds there is always more to say so here are 5 things weeds do! Weeds: Crowd … Read more
Welcome to Worst Weed Wednesday! Today is the day that you can rant all you want about weeds, how much you despise them, how you would like to eradicate them (and do), and what kinds of things you say to them (please keep it PG or PG13!). I’ll update this post as more folks rant … Read more
So what is a weed? By nearly every gardener’s definition a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place. It could be a flower that self-seeded in an unwanted location but that’s not what most people really consider a problem plant, and true weeds are problem plants. So for Worst Weed Wednesday here are … Read more
Normally I’m a fan of Ipomoea, normally. I like the ornamental sweet potato vines, the heart shaped leaf morning glories with little blue flowers, and of course I love eating sweet potatoes but this three lobed morning glory has worn out its welcome. It started off inconspicuous enough, just a couple little leaves in the … Read more
Do you say “Do you feel lucky, punk?” when you stare down weeds while wielding a bottle of herbicide? Do you cringe when you hear crabgrass? Then don’t forget that this coming Wednesday July 29th is Worst Weed Wednesday where you get to rant all you want about the worst possible garden invaders to your … Read more
On Wednesday (July 29th, 2009) I’ll be hosting Worst Weed Wednesday and I’d like to invite all my fellow blogging friends to participate! All you have to do is pick out (or pick on) your least favorite garden invader in a post on your blog. It could be any plant you consider to be a … Read more
If you have a freely draining patio set in sand like I do you may have noticed weeds growing up through the cracks. These are generally caused by seeds that have landed on the patio and germinated and can be easy to eliminate. The most obvious way to deal with them is to try to … Read more
I am the master of growing onions. For me they never seem to have any trouble and even multiply exponentially. I always have more than enough, and have plenty to share. Perhaps I should market my secret? It’s truly remarkable how little care needs to go into these onions using my method. Once they are … Read more
I’m amazed this year by the blooms I actually have in the garden. Maybe it was the warm snap, or maybe we’ll be lucky enough to have some great blooms each and every February. My feature plant today is one that comes every spring much to the chagrin of the lawn lover. Tiny purple flowers … Read more
Even in winter gardeners in Tennessee need to keep up with the weeds. Cool season weeds like chickweed and henbit can easily take over while you aren’t watching your garden beds. I actually like the look of henbit in the lawn but not in the garden beds. If you have a warm winter day get … Read more
Many people have patios with permeable materials like sand and pea gravel in the cracks. These patios are open invitations for weeds that decide to drop in and make themselves at home in those cracks! It doesn’t take anymore than a seed to sprout an annoyingly hard weed to pull out. There are many methods … Read more
The Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) You know this pretty little face don’t you? Staring up at you with it’s bright golden feathery petals gleaming in the sun. It is a pretty little flower in it’s own way. Almost…dandy. But its pretty exterior hides how fierce this weed really is. It spreads fast if not contained. This … Read more
Yesterday was a day of many minor accomplishments. The sky was overcast but no rain came down while I worked out in the yard. I managed to attack several nagging chores that needed done. While I work I always try to look around and take some mental notes of things that need done and what’s … Read more
Here is a picture of our new territory that I didn’t quite know I had until a couple weeks ago. It is covered in a variety of weeds including notable family favorites like ragweed, goldenrod and Queen Anne’s lace. Now if it were just the latter two weeds I would be OK with the area … Read more
Looking for a thick ground cover that is green even in the dead of winter? Do you want something that will cover your yard with absolutely zero maintenance? Then look no further for you have found your answer! Chickweed is taking America and Tennessee by storm. It will quickly cover your lawn and garden in … Read more
The moment I found out what that particularly green feathery weed in my yard was, it was war! RAGWEED! It was everywhere in our yard. The front, the back, the sides, underneath hollies in all the garden beds, and pretty much everywhere else you looked it was there. Like an alien entity overlooking our planet … Read more
An ecologically safe and easy to use weed killer is simply water! Just boil it in your teapot and water the troublesome weed with some scalding hot water. It is non-selective so anything it touches it could kill. It’s effective against most weeds but they may need a second treatment. Be sure to target the … Read more