Wee.....ds

I am not a great identifier of weeds.  I have probably only really waged war against crabgrass since it maliciously hides from my lawn mower and seems almost impossible to combat.  One of the best, non-violent, ways is to throw down some pre-emergence in the spring just as the forsythia are budded.  The environmentally friendly pre-emergence is composed mostly of corn gluten.  Because crabgrass is an annual this method is best for the pacifist; however, dandelions are quite another story.

I should have more compassion, really, for the dandelion.  Some people put dandelion leaves in salads or use them to make wine.  We can make wishes with the seed heads, and the blossom to leaf ratio is actually quite good.  But, I am not a fan.  I lie and wait every spring, weed puller in hand for any sign of the yellow invader, then I pounce.  It seems we will have just canvassed the yard, pulled every single weed, and lo and behold the next morning five more will appear.  It's a courtesy that they are easy to spot, unlike crabgrass, so they only have themselves to blame.

Lest you think I am completely heartless.  There do exist weeds I actually like and will allow a little invasion, and not just because I am lazy.  White clover has a pretty little bloom and adds healthful nitrogen to the soil.  I like the clover and will purposely buy grass seed that has clover in it (regardless of what the lawn "experts" say).  I also like johnny jump-ups (they look like baby pansies) but will eventually pull them when they get too uppity.  Lastly, violets often will grow where the grass won't, in both white and purple (yes, more purple!) and are easy to yank if you change your mind.

Purple Haze

Spring in Maine is a beautiful time of year when the white of snow is replaced with fabulous colors, although in my yard it pretty much amounts to many shades of purple.  I think of it as a wonderful "sea of purple" whenever I pull in to the driveway.

The purple is mostly groundcover, ajuga and creeping phlox, but I also have a lion's share of grape hyacinths (muscari) that have spread like crazy.  Because I have lots of shades of purple, I think it looks good.  Once the blossoms have faded, the different shades of green will look pretty, too.  Not far behind the purple will be a sea of yellow, coreopsis and the like will replace the purple by June.

While some might think that the purple is a bit "too much", I don't.  It's fabulous to have color in Spring when all the trees are just finally leafing out and neighbors have only green and brown in their yards. I also have had crocuses and daffodils come and go already, so there has been some color in the yard since early April.  For the low maintenance gardener, bulbs are a great investment.

Some bulbs, like grape hyacinth, crocuses, and daffodils, will multiply year after year and look so pretty in drifts.  Other bulbs, like most tulips, seem to peter out after a couple of years (the flower gets smaller and eventually stops blooming).  I tend to avoid tulips because I haven't had a lot of luck with them.  I do have nine dwarf  "May Wonders", but I am not crazy about the way they bloom, very low to the ground and hard to see.  Also, I started with nine, and still have nine.  I also bought three double flowering tulip bulbs a few years ago, but only now have one that blooms and the blossom is so heavy it usually opens then snaps off.  But I do see tulips in other people's yards that seem to do very well, so it could be that my yard doesn't have the conditions that they like.

I also have problems with doronicum (leopard's bane).  My dad can grow doronicum without even trying just one mile away.  Every year he pulls seedlings out for weeds.  I've taken my fair share of seedlings and planted the pretty yellow spring flower in my yard but it hates it here and tends to die fairly quickly.  I have no idea why.  But sometimes that is just how it happens.  So, I visit my dad, enjoy his blooming doronicum, curse it a little under my breath, but appreciate it anyway.

I suppose I could have a soil sample taken and I could determine the properties of my soil.  But, frankly, I don't have that kind of ambition, I am content to trial and error my gardening.  If something doesn't perform, I simply replace it.

Other purple currently blooming, dwarf iris, vinca minor, and PJM rhododenrons.