A Rooted Villain

Prying, tugging fingers pull roots from where they don’t belong. Weeds!

Let’s begin with the garden variety. And what a variety there is. Some are stubborn and deeply rooted, some are easy to pull but very plentiful, some are parasites that grow so closely to plants that you want that you can hardly distinguish the difference. It takes a little practice to recognize what will be a weed and what will not, especially in the spring. Sometimes you just have to guess and dig them out when they are young, because waiting can lead to spreading root bundles and a whole lot more work down the road.

We usually think of a weed as a plant that has decided to grow where we decidedly do not want it to grow. A weed to one person could be a beautiful flower to another. It is a matter of preference. I don’t prefer your seed-spewing, gangly, brownish stalk of flowers and would consider them a hazard, but that’s just me.

Then again, a weed can also be an idea. The same seeds sprout differently in various brain soils. Some idea weeds are washed away without a second thought, some are buried deep and will only sprout when properly fertilized, and some sprawl and transform into a fully grown personal philosophy before you know it.

We’ve all made the mistake of suggesting something to a child in the spur of the moment. You see the weed of the idea behind their eyes as it takes shape, and hope that they can be convinced to see reason and abort their naughty mission before blame can be placed on you for planting the seed of the idea in their head.

So who is to blame for the weeds? Those who plant them or those who tend to their growth?

Most garden weeds are plants that someone transplanted and have now become a menace. Dandelions were brought to North America by European immigrants, and they have spread to become tedious to many the lawn enthusiast. Then again they are edible, can be used to treat internal ailments, and the plant releases ethylene gas which helps fruit ripen. It depends if you need a cure for gout or a pristine lawn.

Weedy ideas are those that do not deserve a rightful place in the dialogue of humanity. They are obnoxious and they horn in on the territory of other ideas that deserve to be recognized. Why do we not pull these out at their roots before they can spread and multiply? As is the case with all weeds, it is a matter of preference. One man’s weed is another man’s mantra. Painful though it may be to see it growing there, we can’t cross the fence sneakily and spray with an organic spray in the dark of night. We might be able to flick a little verbal vinegar here and there to try to tame the wild growth, but for the most part we just have to accept it as a part of life. And continue to recognize those weeds in our own gardens.