Weeds

Postcard from Merion

I will not be posting any paintings for the next few days as I am battling weeds with all my energy.  I have two weeds that have completely overrun my garden, Pinellia and Gout weed.  I want to warn everyone about these intruders so they can take action immediately upon spotting them.

Today I will discuss my struggle with Gout weed, also known as "Bishop's weed" and "Snow on the Mountain."  This weed has been with me for many years but I was always able to keep it at bay.  This year however, the gout weed has mobilized its forces into an army and marched into my perennial beds slaughtering plants that have been around for years.  After wringing my hands for a few weeks and preparing my mind and body for a war, I have at last taken action.

Armed with gloves,  hand fork and my most murderous intent I have been doing battle.  If you have ever struggled with Gout weed you know you must get all the roots out if you don't want to see their cheery heads popping up a day or two after you thought you had vanquished them forwever.  This requires skill and determination.  

You have to be in shape to remove weeds.  It isn't like any other kind of exercise and not for the weak in body or spirit.  The first day you think you will have to lie down after about 20 minutes of bending up and down or crawling around on all fours into the corners of your garden, trying not to crush too many of your treasured plants as you ruthlessly pull and hack away.  In fact It may be a good idea to lie down at this point, but usually once entering the fight, you want to keep going until a specific area is weed-free.

This season I found standing up after sitting on the ground was particularly grueling and it seemed my body was stuck at half mast each time.  But with the image of a weed-free, perfectly mulched perennial border ever present in my imagination, I slowly regained my usual height only to get down to dig more and repeat the whole exercise.  After a few days I found I was not quite as bent over when rising, and straightening out was not quite as painful, so the body and the garden both benefit from this particular form of exercise.

Sometimes I cursed at the weeds and sometimes I suggested they might find happiness in the empty lot down the street, as I delicately removed them from the Johnson's Blue Geraniums and Baptisia.  They completely obliterated my tall perennial sunflowers.  Gone forever!  They are not innocent by any means.  Though I am thoroughly opposed to chemicals in my garden, I have to admit I did resort to Roundup for some large clumps of Gout weed that were away from any other plants.  Even Roundup doesn't do a complete job with this hardy plant however, and I had to go in and dig up the roots anyway.

I have won this skirmish, with most beds tucked in under a nice layer of mulch, but I know some small roots of the enemy are hiding under there just waiting for a little rain and sunshine to start up again.  

I am ready.

Tomorrow: the dread Pinellia!