YARD WEEDS - ARE THEY BENEFICIAL?

CAN WE USE THEM EASTHETICALLY IN THE LANDSCAPE?

DO THEY HAVE MEDICINAL USES?

Although errantly assumed to compete with neighboring plants for food and moisture, some "weeds" provide the soil with nutrients, either directly or indirectly.For example, legumes, such as white clover, add nitrogen to the soil through the process of nitrogen fixation, where bacteria symbiotically living in their roots extract nitrogen from the atmosphere, making it accessible in the soil for its host, and any nearby plants.Others use deep tap roots to bring up nutrients and moisture from beyond the range of normal plants, so that the soil improves in quality over generations of that plant's presence.Weeds with strong, widespread roots also introduce organic matter to the earth in the form of those roots, turning hard, dense clay dirt into richer, more fertile soil.In fact, some common plants like tomatoes and corn will "piggyback" on nearby weeds, allowing their relatively weak root systems to go deeper than they could have alone.

THE FOLLOWING PICTURES OF WEEDS ARE LISTED ON THE BENEFICIAL WEED CHART BELOW:

Mimosa pudica

Euphorbia lathyris

Clover

Cocklebur

Crow Garlic

Dandelion

Goldenrod

Ground Ivy

Horsenettle

Milkweed

Nasturtium

Nettle

Purslane

Queen Anne Lace

Wild Mustard

Wild Rose

 

Wild Vetch

Beneficial Weed Chart
Common name	Scientific name	Companion plant for	Attracts/hosts	Repels	Traps	Edibility	Medicinal	Avoid	Comments
Bashful Mimosa	Mimosa pudica	ground cover for tomatoes, peppers	predatory beetles				Its extract immobilizes the filariform larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis in less than one hour.[1] In contemporary medicine, Mimosa pudica is being investigated for its potential to yield novel chemotherapeutic compounds. It contains an alkaloid calledmimosine, which has been found to have potent antiproliferative and apoptotic effects.[2]		Used as a natural ground cover in agriculture
Caper Spurge	Euphorbia lathyris	Moles					Used in folk medicine as an antiseptic and purgative		Many domesticated animals can eat it, although it's poisonous to humans. Beneficial weeds can accomplish a number of roles in the garden or yard, including fertilizing the soil, increasing moisture, acting as shelter or living mulch, repelling pests, attracting beneficial insects, or serving as food or other resources for human beings.
Clover	Trifolium	Brassica (cabbage and cousins like broccoli and cauliflower), corn, cucurbits (cucumber, squash, melons, gourds) -- Along with fertilizing the soil, this plant provides a humid microclimate that benefits many plants by stabilizing their moisture			Rabbits	This legume is a high-protein source of food, but generally only eaten in survival situations		Nightshades(tomato, pepper, eggplants)	This legume hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots, and therefore fertilizes the soil for neighboring plants. It is also used as a fallow plant by some farmers, and is a very popular fodder plant.
Cocklebur	Xanthium	Grasses and grains		Army worms			Is used in Chinese medicine	Poisonous to some lifestock	Also used for yellow dye
Common name	Scientific name	Companion plant for	Attracts/hosts	Repels	Traps	Edibility	Medicinal	Avoid	Comments
Crow garlic	Allium vineale	fruit trees, nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, etc.), brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, etc.) carrots		slugs, aphids,carrot fly, cabbage worms[3]		Can be used like conventional chives	3-mercapto-2-methylpentan-1-ol in onion was found to have an antioxidant potent that inhibitsperoxynitrite induced diseases.[4]	beans, peas, parsley	This is a wild cousin of onions and garlic
Dandelion	Taraxacum	Various grains, tomato plants	Honeybees	Armyworms		In season, leaves and flowers are edible	Used as a diuretic in herbal medicine		Tap root breaks up hardened soil and brings up nutrients from deep down, benefiting plants with weaker or shallower roots without competing with them.
Goldenrod	Solidago	Pear trees, Black Locust Tree, Sugar Maple	Predatory wasps	VariousLepidopteralarvae			Numerous medicinal uses		Contains latex, the automobile given to Thomas Edison by Henry Ford had tires made from goldenrod latex
Ground Ivy	Glechoma hederacea	Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and relatives (squash, melons), broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower		cabbage worms, cucumber worms and beetles, tomato horn worms, others		Can be used in herb tea, high in vitamin C	Used in the traditional medicine of Europe going back thousands of years. Inflammation of the eyes, tinnitus, a diuretic, astringent, tonic and gentle stimulant. See here for more.		This wild mint makes a good ground cover companion plant, creating a humid microclimate, covering up nearby plant scents, and distracting pests from companion crops.
Common name	Scientific name	Companion plant for	Attracts/hosts	Repels	Traps	Edibility	Medicinal	Avoid	Comments
Horsenettle	Solanum carolinense		Predatory beetles			The berries of this fruit may be edible when cooked	Ripe fruit, when cooked, is used by herbalists as a diuretic and sedative
Milkweed	Asclepias	Corn, basil, potatoes	Predatory wasps	Wireworms			Folk remedy for warts, sap reduces poison ivy symptoms		Can be used as a more effective insulator than goose down. Emits a chemical that breaks up hard soil, allowing nearby plants to develop healthier root systems. Basil repels some insects that attack milkweed.
Nasturtium	Tropaeolum	Most vegetables, especially brassica (cabbage, broccoli, et al.), cucurbits (cucumbers, melons, squash) and solanum (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, etc.)	Predatory wasps	Squash bugs,cucumber beetles,striped pumpkin beetles,woolly aphids	trap cropfor caterpillars and black aphids	All parts of this plant are edible, flowers and leaves make brilliant salad decoration			Considered one of the "magic bullet" companion plants, benefiting almost any crops around it in some way, and not known to hurt any
Nettle	Urtica dioica	broccoli, tomato [1], Valarian, mint, fennel	bees			Despite its "sting", young plant parts are edible, as is much of the plant when blanched or otherwise prepared. Also makes a nutritious herb tea	One of the most-used plants in herbal medicine, with a long list of benefits[2]		Also once grown as a crop for its fiber. Its juice was once used in the place of rennet in cheese-making. It was also a source of "green" for dye. It can still be used as a high-protein additive in animal feed, once dried.
Common name	Scientific name	Companion plant for	Attracts/hosts	Repels	Traps	Edibility	Medicinal	Avoid	Comments
Purslane	Portulaca oleracea	corn, solanums like tomatoes and peppers				Purslane is eaten throughout much of Europe and Mexico. It contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable plant. It can be eaten in salad, stir-fried, or cooked like spinach. berries can be eaten like capers	In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is used to treat infections or bleeding of the genito-urinary tract as well as dysentery. It may also be applied topically to relieve sores and insect or snake bites on the skin.	Dill, parsnip, radish	Breaks up hard soil and hardpan, brings nutrients and water up from deeper than crops can reach, provides healthy ground cover, stabilizing soil moisture
Queen Anne's Lace	Daucus carota	Nightshades (especially tomatoes), alliums (onions, chives), lettuce	predatory wasps and flies			Young roots are edible	Some recent scientific support for its historic use as a herbal contraceptive	Dill, parsnip, radish	Do not confuse with its poisonous cousin, water hemlock
Wild Mustard	Brassicaceae	Grape vine [3], radish, non-mustard brassica, including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli	Ladybugs		Traps various brassica pests, including aphids	Seeds and leaves are edible		beets	Domesticated mustard is a hybrid of three different species of wild mustard, all of which are still used in some places for food. This is known as the Triangle of U.
Wild Rose	Rosa	Strawberries, grapes, roses		Rodents and deer	Traps Japanese beetles	Rose hips can be used in herb tea	Same medicinal benefits as domesticated rose		This includes the feralmultiflora rose, brought to the US [4] both for use as root stock for domesticated roses, and as a "natural fence" for lifestock. In the mid 20th century miles of multiflora rose hedge were planted in sequence.
Common name	Scientific name	Companion plant for	Attracts/hosts	Repels	Traps	Edibility	Medicinal	Avoid	Comments
Wild Vetch	Vicia americana	Pepper and tomato plants, brassica (cabbage, mustard, broccoli), other plants needing high nitrogen	Provides ground cover for predatory beetles						This legume fixes nitrogen, allow it to grow in a tomato garden only until time to plant, as ground cover. But can be left growing among brassica for additional nitrogen and microclimate

A WINTER PEEK AND FOLLOWUP OF EUPHORBIA AND HELLEBORE FROM DECEMBER 4TH POST

 EUPHORBIA  'ASCOT RAINBOW'

Spurge

GROWS TO 20" - NEEDS NO PRUNING
EVERGREEN  - SUN AND PARTIAL SHADE

FLOWERS EARLY SUMMER and last till FALL 

FLOWER COLORS ARE THE SAME AS THE LEAVES AND THEY LAST FOR MONTHS

  VERY PRETTY -  MAINTENANCE FREE AND DROUGHT TOLERANT

PHOTO TAKEN IN OUR MILD MID-WINTER OF 2012

NOTICE THE COLOR AND SLIGHT TEXTURE VARIATION - STRONG, PROTECTIVE AND SELF-SUSTAINING 

PHOTO TAKEN IN THE LATE MILD FALL OF 2011

BRIGHT LIGHTER COLOR AND SOFT AND SLIGHTLY *PUBESIANT TEXTURE

*pubescent |pyo͞oˈbesənt|   - botany term - covered with short soft hair; downy.

HELLEBORE 'ANGEL GLOW'

Lenten Rose

 EVERGREEN -  SHADE/PART SUN PERENNIAL

 FLOWERS IN FEBRUARY

   FLOWERS LAST FOR MONTHS

 VERY HARDY - TOLERATES POOR SOIL CONDITIONS

BUDDING PHOTOS TAKEN FEBRUARY 1, 2012

NOTICE THE PINK BUDS AT CENTER CORE

PHOTO TAKEN MID SPRING

LONG LASTING FLOWERS FROM FEBRUARY

THESE FLOWERS ARE STRONG WITH A SOMEWHAT WAXY TEXTURE AND ALTHOUGH THEY ARE STILL IN RICH COLOR IN SPRING AS THE SEASON PROGRESSES THE FLOWER COLOR FADES TO A PALE PINK OR OFF WHITE.

NOTE: VERY VIEW OF LEAFLETS ARE REMOVED FROM WINTER DAMAGE

WINTER PRUNING OF DECIDUOUS TREES AND SHRUBS

TAKEN FROM THE:   The Old Farmer's Almanac

Pruning Pointers for Trees and Shrubs

www.almanac.com/content/pruning-pointers-trees-and-shrubs

Pruning deciduous plants in the winter promotes fast regrowth in the spring, as most plants are dormant during the winter. It's also easier to see the shape of deciduous plants in the winter, since their foliage is gone.


USE THESE FOLLOWING TIPS:

• Prune on a mild, dry day.
• When pruning, first prune out dead and diseased branches.
• Then remove the overgrown and smaller branches to increase light and air at the crown of the tree.
• In general, your goal is to keep the branches that develop or maintain the structure of the tree.
• Cut branches at the node, the point at which one branch or twig attaches to another.

EXAMPLES:

THE WINTER IS A PERFECT TIME TO PRUNE OUT THIS OVERGROWN BORDER

THIS OVERGROWN PRIVET HEDGE NEEDS TO BE PRUNED DOWN WHICH IS MUCH  EASIER TO SEE AND DO IN WINTER

BELOW ARE SOME OF THE SHRUBS AND TREES WHICH CAN BE PRUNED IN THE WINTER

Abelia

Autumn to early spring

Maintain a graceful arching form by cutting away some of the oldest stems at 

ground level. Pinch growing shoots in spring if you want bushier growth.

Azalea

Late winter or during the growing season

Before growth begins for the season, improve the form of the bush by shortening stems that jut out of place. During the growing season, pinch growing shoot tips where you want bushier growth.

Butterfly bush

Late winter

Cut all stems to the ground.

Chaste tree

Late winter or early spring

Evergreen species need little pruning beyond cutting out weak, twiggy, dead, or broken branches.

Crape myrtle

Late winter

Wherever the plant is not totally winter-hardy, cut off winter-killed wood or cut the whole plant to the ground. Little pruning is needed where this plant is cold-hardy.

Hydrangea

Mostly late winter

For smooth hydrangea, cut all stems to the ground. For bigleaf or oakleaf hydrangea, cut stems with old flowers still attached back to fat flower buds.

Smoke bush

Late winter or early spring, before growth begins

Needs little pruning unless you grow it for its purple leaves rather than for its flowers. In this case, prune severely to stimulate vigorous new growth each spring.

IMPORTANT BASICS OF PRUNING

To Thin:

Remove to improve. Thinning is about cutting out all dead, diseased, and injured parts to let in more air and light. Most important, thinning prevents confusion of a plant's structural line and enhances it health.

To Reduce:

In Nature, most plants we grow are in splendid isolation, trying to spread unnaturally fast. Our job is to prevent certain shrubs and trees from outgrowing their position in a yard. Judicious reducing helps plants develop into sound structures without over-stressing their limbs. Also, maximum flowering and bountiful fruit are only possible by pruning.

To Amputate:

It sounds harsh, but severe pruning is necessary to restore older trees and shrubs to better health. Most plants are amazingly forgiving with experimentation. Think twice, cut once, and watch carefully. Your plants will tell you in their own way how to do better next season.