Wild about Weeding
This month's blog is all about weeds and just to be clear right from the start, a weed is just a plant in the wrong place. It isn't something to look down on or be disgusted by. Daisies are beautifully delicate, Buddleja is stunning and covered with butterflies from mid-summer, Ferns, Foxgloves, Primrose and Californian Poppy all fall into the category of weeds. But what constitutes a weed? That question does not have a simple answer but I would broadly say that it’s a plant that reproduces uncontrollably and because of that is invasive and hard to keep on top of.
March is the perfect time to start dealing with the plants that you don’t want in your garden as they will now be waking up and springing into action. Weeding is most effective when it is done little and often and now is the time to begin. The types of weeds I will be talking about here are ones that are common in most of our gardens, the ones that creep into our borders and smother the perennials. These are things like Purple Wood Sorrel that create masses of groundcover and tiny yellow flowers or Ivy-leaved Toadflax with its rapid growth and ability to survive in most soils.
Weeding is a great mindful task, a way of passing the time and losing yourself in your garden for five minutes or five hours. It is also a brilliant way of understanding your soil, as you get up and close and dirty you get to know the texture, composition and type of soil in your garden. Understanding your soil will make you a better gardener.
You don't need any fancy tools to start weeding; a hoe, knife, trowel or equipment like specialist weed pullers are all great and effective. However the best tool in my opinion is your hands. Your hands are the ultimate tool, your fingers can scrape, pluck, pick, dig. Your hand is a human swiss army knife and the right tool for the job. If you do one thing this week, spend ten minutes weeding on your hands and knees (if your body physically allows), without gloves. I promise that you will feel better for it.
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