Monday, August 31, 2009

Shock!

I've been hesitant...skittish even, to truly weed or pull out the plants that I didn't want in the yard. It may have been a fear of pests (wasps, bees, spiders, ticks, etc.) or a feeling of being overwhelmed with the prospect of ripping out the plants that someone else put in and being on my own. In any event, those feelings have to be pushed aside, because the backyard has been totally changed. Hostas, maiden grass and weeds were removed. The hostas and maiden grass will be replanted by the friends who dug them out. The weeds,will not.
The lack of vegetation left me in shock and I wondered if too much had been taken out. And I grieve.
But my feelings of grief, shock and relief, (I'm sure I have more feelings that have not been categorized) have to be pushed aside. This is the time for courage and fall plants that are on sale. A yard is a work in progress. Friends that help weed and dig out plants sprayed by skunks...incredible.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Weeds

Weeds. Lots of weeds have flowers and look very pretty. How many of us gave dandelions to a our mothers when we were growing up? When did the weed become bad? Was it when our mothers told us to stop playing with weeds, and that they really weren't flowers? Or is it when someone unrelated dismisses a field filled with tall, strong flowers with their petals pointed to the sun and they say, "Those are just weeds."
I am the worst suburban gardener. I let weeds grow until I know its a weed and then I reluctantly chop it down. Last week I cut a dandelion that was almost three feet high! Amazing! But, it was in my front lawn and had begun to peek through the maiden grass (which is not a weed).
Weeds are amazing. They grow quickly and are determined to survive. I can pull them by hand, only to find them crop up in another place in the yard. I usually cut to bring them down to a manageable height, but on occasion I will use a herbicide such as Weed-B-Gone. I use the same thought in the backyard as the front, which is I don't cut, chop, or pull until I have determined that it is a weed or I just don't like it.
Can weeds be a metaphor for life?