Weeds: The good, the bad and the ugly in our region

  • By Kyle Valentini
  • March 1, 2012
  • 349
                        
Summary: Weeds, like most things, have their good, bad and ugly qualities. Some weeds are more common than others and there is a way to manage them so they don’t dominate the yard and garden. Even the most seasoned gardener battles weeds each season and despite attempts to completely eradicate these unwanted plants from the yard and garden, they continue to resurface time and time again. It is difficult to fully rid the yard and garden of weeds because they were well-designed. Nature intended plants to withstand adverse conditions so they would survive. Unless you are using synthetic herbicides in the garden, those conditions can be more ideal than adverse for a number of weeds commonly found in the region. Some of the more common weeds found came to be because of our well-intentioned ancestors who brought them by boat, by wagon and by horseback to Ohio from a distant land that they once called home. We have them to blame for the good, the bad and the ugly side of these plants that can take up too much of our time in the garden. Chickweed is one of those plants and can be a real pest in the garden and yard. Chickweed can produce seeds rather quickly and can soon take over a bed or a border. A low-growing, cold-tollerant perennial that sometimes acts as an annual, Chickweed forms dense patches and is best kept under control by hoeing or hand-pulling before it has set seed. Ground ivy never seems to completely go away. All the pulling in the world can still leave behind the tiniest piece of root that will keep growing and spreading. It is possible to control the fast-growing, rhizomatic perennial but complete eradication is nearly impossible without the constant use of synthetic herbicides. Ground ivy has many names like cat ivy, cat's-foot, creeping Charlie, creeping jenny, crow victuals, field balm, gill-go-by-the-hedge, gill-over-the-ground, ground joy, hayhofe, haymaids, hedgemaids, lizzy-run-up-the-hedge, robin-run-in-the-hedge, run-away-robin and others. The cute names beg one to wonder if this is an attempt to make it seem the plant is one we would all want in our gardens. In reality, it is troublesome in both lawns and gardens as it can be extremely invasive, stealing vital nutrients and choking out desirable plants. The dandelion is a like or hate weed in the region. Some of us see it as the first true sign of spring while others see it as the beginning of a season-long battle with the perennial herb. Dandelions have all sorts of medicinal and nutritional properties and have helped those suffering with everything from rheumatism to constipation. Dandelions have also exacerbated rheumatism by aggravating the very hands that continually have to pull them up by their tap roots that seem to go all the way to China. The tap root really only goes about a foot down and unless it is removed, the plant will grow back. Dandelions actually have a removal tool named after them because despite their use as greens, a flavor for vinegar and their flowers used in wine-making, the dandelion is not an herb we tend to want growing in the yard or garden. Have you noticed there are no dandelion farms? Deer-tongue grass is native to Ohio but has inched its way into places where it is not desirable. Deer-tongue grass isn’t terribly invasive or difficult to remove but it will form large clumps that last through winter. Best to remove deer-tongue grass when it young and the root system is not yet fully developed. Broadleaf plantain is present throughout the region and although not native, has become naturalized. A low growing herb, the name comes from the French word for sole of the foot. Once used widely to treat bites and stings, plantain was also used to comfort minor ailments of the eye, tongue and mouth. Plantain survives in the yard because it grows so low mowing does not affect it. In the garden it is easy to spot and can easily be removed by hand-digging or pulling. In the yard, removal is as simple but reseed grass immediately. Weed seeds are always looking for a bare spot to settle in and sprout.


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