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Define "Weed"


viola labradorica

Isn't this a lovely plant? At least, it makes for a nice picture. Unfortunately, it falls into my definition of a weed. I have spent many hours on my hands and knees digging it up all over my yard, and then some! The elderly neighbor behind us has mentioned several times that she is trying to get rid of it, and as it spreads into our yard from hers, I dug up the strip of them that are hers. But this plant, it is voracious. The neighbor to the north of us is quite fond of his grass and has found a weed killer to combat this violet. He even gave us a bottle of it, I guess that's a hint! I am hesitant to use pesticides; I have read recently how this affects the honey bees. The only success I've had getting rid of this is digging deep and wide, but I just can't do that for the whole yard, and my husband would kill me. So what shall I do? I just may try the chemicals, and hope to completely eradicate this thing from the premises, so that I will never have to use it again.

In other gardening news, BFJ turned over my veggie garden for me while I was at a meeting last Saturday. Wasn't that nice of him? And then I made him dig a new bed. But it's very small. I planted edible pea pods there, and hope for a good crop. I tried growing peas once before and had a small amount of success: I wasn't sure when they were "ripe," and I only had one or two vines so not enough for a mouthful of peas. I think the primary problem was that I didn't amend the soil. This year I have higher expectations: I have a little more gardening experiene, and I DID amend the soil. Hopefully this will serve a dual purpose: a nice green screen between us and the neighbor, and something good to eat!

Comments

  1. Hmmm, well, it doesn't look like a weed to me. But, I know what you mean -- we have something similar that comes up in the spring, flowers, and then the leaves last until around June. It's very pretty, but it gets chopped by the mower in the grass. I just let it be in the beds, but it does look a little weedy. Your weedflowers are much prettier than mine!

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  2. Karen, I feel your "pain". We have Morning Glory jumping the fence from the neighbors - just as voracious as your violet and more. I asked a garden expert how to deal with it a couple of years ago as it is a rhizome and finds its way along underground. He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said if I found anything to let him know!
    On the other hand, you will love your edible pea pods - just make sure to pick them in the morning and eat them the same day for maximum flavor! It was so nice of your BFJ to turn the soil - one of the things I prefer not to do!
    Cheers!

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  3. We have something similar that pops up in our yard too. Sometimes I pull it out, and sometimes I let it go thinking that at least it is green! I am not a great gardener...:) The pea pods sound yummy! Have a good snow day today!

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