I have a confession

I couldn't write about my favorite plants today because I had to get something off of my chest.

The Devil. No. I mean Morning Glory / Bindweed.

Garden Evils

Some people think that Monsanto is the devil, but I'm pretty sure it's Morning Glory.

Morning Glory, otherwise known as Field Bindweed, is a  Class C noxious weed in Washington State. Want proof? See here.

I have always been organic, opposed to using any chemicals in my garden. But I surrender. There is no other way I can get rid of this nasty plant without them. Certain people will be shocked at this confession: Yesterday I used RoundUp. There, I said it. A certain friend, you know who you are, used it on my yard last year and for the most part, it worked. I was corrupted.

Necessary Evil.

Sadly, there is no going back. One of my neighbors appears to be using his backyard to produce Morning Glory seeds for future generations, and providing long, deep roots under my fence, in case the seeds don't sprout. RoundUp, my new friend, where are you?

I should mention that I do have an evil plan involving guerrilla warfare, but I won't burden you with that secret. It's right up there with how I plan to control the mosquitoes that are breeding in my other neighbor's pond.

My final thought is that if a plant is going to be this persistent and horrible, it should at least have edible berries.

Weeds I hate

1. Bindweed...as I said.
2. Horsetail. I'm glad I don't have this in my yard.
3. English Ivy. Can you believe some people actually plant this? It's taking over natural habitats in our State. And the trees in my backyard.
4. Dandelion. I feel bad about this, because when I was a kid, I loved them, and I loved blowing those wonderful seed heads all over the lawn. My mom should have made me weed.
5. Buttercup. Again, loved them as a kid and used them for bouquets. Hate them now.
6. Blackberry. Only if it's in my yard, I don't mind it in other people's yards. Especially if they give me berries.
7. Tansy. It smells, and it's hard to get out.



Ivy taking over my tree.

8. Thistle. For obvious reasons.

A Note on Child Workers

When my kids were younger, I used to pay them money for each weed they pulled. I hated Dandelion so much that I paid them five cents for every complete root. It worked great until my daughter got too fast pulling and I had to pay her $20 for one day. (She was six.) I started making it 2 for 5 cents, and eventually, it became too little pay for too much work and the whole system collapsed. Now I just make them weed when I'm mad at them, or when they want money.

Weeds I hate less

There are some weeds that are so easy to pull out; they give me a sense that I'm really accomplishing something because I can make a really huge pile quickly. Those are the ones I turn to when I haven't weeded for a while, and my self-esteem is plummeting. I don't even know the names of most of them, that's how little I hate them.