Pow! Spring has exploded. With the warm winter, and then the drenching rains, luxuriant growth is rampant. It did seem to slow a bit with last week's nippy temperatures, but not for our stalwart weeds. The brilliant dandelions appear to double in numbers and showiness every hour. The chickweed mats ooze across the terrain, while the perky pest named shotweed seems to be fast-forward on its second go-round. For some dedicated gardeners, the tender growth tips of the chickweed and the leaves of their dandelions end up in their salad bowls. I applaud their approach, but thankfully I do not seem to have enough dandelions to fill my salad bowl.
The real thugs for me in the garden are sweet blue-flowering profuse seeders. Let's start with borage. It is very easy to grow from seed. While it flops over and should probably be staked in a tidy-garden atmosphere, the heavenly blue flowers add a spicy touch to summer salads and seem to bring the blue skies down to the garden. Also it grows quite well with or without water. Great plant, until the following year, when the seedlings are everywhere. Cute little flat things, hiding under the mulch, around the base of plants, in walls, in paths, and not too easy to pull out. With due diligence, the darlings seem to have been eradicated, until the second year, when there is a plethora of seedlings again in all the usual places.
The second thug is the forget-me-not. Another exquisite blue flower, so charming and innocent until they go to seed and create mats of seed-lings, which need to be lifted with a pitchfork. How can this diminutive plant behave so badly?
So, while we revel in the beauty of springtime, the supremely fast-paced growth surrounding us brings great guilt with the pleasure. Suddenly we have to go into overdrive and grab the moments of intense sunshine between hailstorms to tackle our nemesis plants. All dedicated gardeners have their special choice of vigorous thugs to conquer. The absurdity is that each year we think we can control all this extravagantly beautiful spring growth. I try to stay amused.[[In-content Ad]]
