In Seattle our cool season annual weeds are popping up their tenacious little heads again this autumn. Among them — Shotweed. It loves our mild temps and gentle, if persistent, autumn rains. Despite being a weed, it can be quite lovely carpeting flower beds in a lovely brilliant spring green. But as lovely as it can be, it is still a weed. So, after introducing a client to it in her own garden earlier this week, I realized it was time to remind all of you gardening readers that this weed is a multi-season menace. As in February when I first posted this article, now’s yet another time to work on clearing it out of your beds. Read more in the original post that follows:
Posts Tagged ‘Weeding’
Managing Weeds in Seattle — Shotweed
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
How Much Time Does a Garden Coach Spend in Her Garden Each Week
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009Yesterday I was helping a regular client prune several woody shrubs away from a deck she’ll be renovating this summer. The shrub work was long past due, but together we made great progress. As we were working she asked, “Robin, how many hours a week do you spend working in your garden?”
Stone & Filled Beds Make for Easy Summer Care
Hmmm…that was like getting the job interview question you’re completely unprepared for. Fortunately, I wasn’t interviewing for a job as the question gave me pause. How much time do I spend working in my own garden in a week?
I answered my client honestly. I barely have time and energy left this time of year to get out in my own garden. My hands are exhausted from pruning and weeding and typing and writing all day, so my own weeds flourish and my shrubs thrive despite the work I know I should devote to them.
Fortunately, I’ve invested almost a decade developing my garden, which has a lot of stone work. And, stones don’t require a lot of maintenance. And, my beds are quite full from years of planting, dividing and spreading perennials. Some I regret and now classify in the weed department (Alstromeria & cat mint rules this regret.) Still, I would like to have garden perfection with zero weeds, perfectly coiffed shrubs and pest-free cabbages. But, time is at a premium. And when free evenings bring lightening storms and hail such as we had last night, I miss out on my rare opportunities to weed away the evening sunlight.
So, to answer the question. I find myself puttering through the garden with coffee each morning most days of the year for a good 30 minutes or so. I visit my potted garden and greenhouse for about 30 minutes a day in spring and summer (at least). I visit my veggie beds daily to harvest (if not to weed and plant and water) for about 20 minutes a day. And, when I have an actual day to really get out there. Well, those are the days I can put in a good 8-10 hours renovating big spaces and making progress pruning those shrubs, pulling those weeds, squashing those slugs and dressing up the finished areas with a nutrious layer of composted mulch. And, of course, I try to wind down sunny evenings sitting in the garden with a glass of wine or iced tea — and odds are, I’ll pull another weed while I’m at it. So shall we say I spend a good hour or two, on an average day, working in the garden (and sometimes quite a bit more.)
Now that I’ve wrapped up this thought, I’m going to escape into my own garden for a rare two hour, mid-day weed-a-thon. Wish me luck!
Garden Coach Answers Reader Question on Horsetail and Spiderwort
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009Linda from Northville, MI writes:
“I have Spiderwort that is spreading beyond control. Is there a way to remove it other than digging up the whole bed and hoping that I got all the roots? I have a similar problem with horsetail grass. I wish I had known they were invasive when I planted them! “
Linda thanks for writing in. You are not alone in your regret of Spiderwort. Years ago I planted it in my own garden and spent quite a while working on eradicating it after the fact. My answer is dig, dig, dig. Spiderwort spreads prolifically underground, so removing the top growth as well as the spreading roots is critical.
Here’s a tip: Use a garden fork (available here) to losen the soil around the entire plant. A fork will lift and seperate the soil and roots where a shovel will slice and pack the earth. Once you have losened the entire soil area, then get down on the your hands and knees with your hori-hori (available here) or other hand tool, and carefully lift and seperate the roots and entire plant from your beds. If you take care to remove the entire plant and then watch the area carefully for new invaders regularly for the rest of the season, you should be able to eradicate it fairly quickly.
Now, as for horsetail…
I’m sorry but I don’t have the ideal eradication method for this tenacious weed. There are many plants that fall into the common name categories of “horsetail”. In my experience these sporing spreaders are nearly impossible to completely remove once in place. I’ve even heard tales from fantastic fellow gardeners who have renovated entire gardens, dumping 10′ of soil over horsetail areas only to see the horsetail make its way onto the top of those newly built areas. So, what to do?
Well, one of the best ideas I’ve heard is landscape with the horsetail. Learn to live with it. Incorporate it into your design area. Truly, it has unique form and texture, so if you can work with that and plant around it, go for it.
Okay, so you really don’t want to plant around the horsetail. You want to get rid of it. Well, keep on breaking and pulling. Yes, you’ll create more growth, but if you keep beating it back and keeping it from photosynthesizing, you may just be able to beat it back (or your great-great-grandkids might if it becomes a task you hand down in the family).
Best of luck & thanks for writing in!
What is a weed anyway?
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007One of my favorite descriptions of a weed is a “plant whose virtues have yet to be discovered” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). Another favorite is ”a plant that can out-compete others in adverse situations” (not sure where I heard that one). Today, for me, a weed is something I ripped from the ground and deposited into my yard waste bin. I’m making progress & so glad I got out there today. The soil is starting to really dry up for summer, which means weeds that are easy to pull today are going to be a much more difficult to pull next week. Actually, the ones struggling for life in an area I’ve compacted in anticipation of installing a new patio, were pretty tough to get out.
If you see any of those little buggers in your yard, I’d encourage you to get out there and remove them sooner rather than later! (Oh, not sure if something is a weed or not? This is my favorite weed id book
