Nasty Plants    

A.A. Milne said, "Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." A.A. knew how to write children's books, but I don't think he knew much about weeds. There are some weeds I do not want to get to know. I just want to KILL them. Today I spent about 2 hours at the Brooklyn Community Garden digging out invasive plants. These nasty weeds tend to have roots that grow deep into the earth making it nearly impossible to remove the entire plant. Which of course means that in a few weeks they'll be baa-aack! 

Plant Enemy #1 in my book is the Blackberry. If you see it--dig it out!

Next is the easily recognizable prickly Thistle. Whether it's the Milk Thistle, Scotch Thistle or the Whistle Thistle, I abhor this plant. If it flowers and goes to seed, these awful plants will be all over tarnation.

Then we have Bind Weed. At least it doesn't have thorns on it, but it will grow around everything it encounters in its voracious path. It will literally strangle other plants. This obnoxious weed gets these 'cute' little flowers on it but don't let it fool you into thinking you should spare it. PULL IT OUT!

Old Man's Beard or Clematis vitalba is a perennial woody vine that grows rapidly, produces tons of seeds, and spreads vegetatively. It climbs trees and shrubs, shades them completely from sunlight and eventually kills them. It can also spread horizontally like a ground cover, creating dense mats of vegetation. It's easiest to dig out when young. If it's already established cut it down and don't let it flower.

I haven't seen English Ivy growing in the community garden, and I hope I don't. This photo is of a poor tree in my neighborhood that is being strangled by this vine. Ivy's roots go deep and it's almost impossible to pull it all out. But if you see it growing on a tree like this, at least cut the vines at the base of the tree.

If you see these nasty plants dig them out, cut them down, and put them in the yard debris.