Lovely. My most joyous mom moment is when my son knows where to find the yarrow and plantain in the yard for first aid. He is also my boy who will drink camomile tea from the flowers he harvested happily. Plant power!!
Love to hear this Melissa! Sounds like you have brought up your son very well. So many "weeds" have medicinal uses. It is something I would like to learn more about.
I think I'd like to disagree, kindly, tentatively, Englishly. I think you're right, that the names we give do matter. But I do think that there is a place for the idea of "weeds", without that being a hostile, domineering, controlling instinct.
"Part of our general aversion to weeds is we consider them as intruders to our curated worlds of perfect order." Yes, but to start abstractly. Paradise, the Garden of Eden, literally and etymologically, is an "enclosure/park", or a "walled garden". https://www.etymonline.com/word/paradise
And a walled garden needs work! This work is good. But it does require discrimination: that which we want to grow and that which we do not.
To speak less abstractly, I have a small vegetable garden at home. It is situated within a grass field. That field is very happy to remain as grassland: it is me that wants to grow vegetables, not the field. My "walled garden" (a bit of rabbit fencing, and a lot of wood-chip) wants to become grass. Grasses emerge all over the bloody place! This is not an unhealthy ecosystem, with "weeds" doing restorative work; rather, grass is one possible end-point of ecological succession. The hope, with enough wood-chip and mulch, is to move the dial towards a forest ecosystem (dominated by fungus rather than bacteria), so that grasses don't emerge naturally. But all the while that this process is unfolding, I am happy to consider grasses as weeds, and to pull them out.
And, to speak candidly, we are all lucky enough that the distinction between weeds as saints and sinners is an abstraction and the site of ideals, rather than a daily reality. There's a line of James Rebanks that's coming to mind: it's only when we are don't depend directly on land that we can "love nature" in its totality. If I depended on that vegetable patch for my survival, in a subsistence sense, the distinction between saint and sinner would be obvious and necessary.
I do think that there are more creative and sympathetic approaches to so-called undesirables that doesn't always lead to the nuclear option. Weeds as bio-indicators, or weeds as healers. But that creativity and sympathy doesn't exhaust the possibility of a good hand-rogue, even in a healthy farmed ecosystem.
I am broadly in agreement with you, and I certainly weed my own vegetable patch! I am thus much more sympathetic towards farmers who remove weeds, seeing as this is pretty much existential for them. Then again, overly clean fields have meant that we have lost many traditional farmland wildflowers such as corncockle (though I appreciate this is a poisonous plant). This loss of seed bearing wildflowers is party behind the steep losses in farmland birds. I would want, then, to see a little bit more tolerance towards some weeds in the farmed environment - how to practically go about this, well that is another (complex!) question.
Where I was going with this short piece (which dod lack nuance) was against the idealised lawn - which is an ecological desert - rather than the farmed environment. I want to see much greater tolerance towards wildlife's growing on our lawns both our private lawns and lawns maintained by overly zealous town councils.
I really enjoyed and appreciated this. It's definitely been a perspective shift for me regarding wildflowers. I garden in the Panhandle, and therefore, and face innumerable weeds, most of whom sting, cut, poison, and choke out the dandelions of the yard. I'd be interested in hearing your perspective on weeds that though doing what they are designed to do, are fundamentally harming the rest of the environment around them? I love this article when applying to wildflowers or any number of "weeds," but struggle to apply this to say, Dollar Weed, which is a common plant that smothers and eventually creates a desert backyard unless I keep it in check.
This is a really interesting question Sharon. We have the same problem over here in the UK with some weeds that take over. A few observations come to mind. Often, plants that take over a habitat are foreign invasive species (e.g. in the UK, Himalayan balsam, Japanese Knotweed and in the US, Kudzu). Invasives are plants that are growing where they ecologically should not. I see no problem in treating these as weeds.
At other times, native species can develop invasive habits. Often this is an indicator that an ecosystem is in poor health - normally, ecological processes and relationships would keep their natural numbers in check.
Then there is the question of harmful species. In the UK, the only common species that is going to cause pain is stinging nettle, while I know you in the US have poison ivy and poison oak to name just a few. Again, removing these species is fine in my opinion - though it is worth noting that these noxious species may be providing a home and food source to other species that we cherish, such as butterflies in the UK which make use of stinging nettle.
Finally, there is a really interesting conceptual model used by scientists to distinguish between weeds/wildflowers. There is a spectrum which runs as follows:
Compassion can stem from understanding why things act the way they do. I liked your line -- "What the weed is actually doing is growing where it naturally should. It is doing what it was designed to do." It reminded me of Internal Family Systems Therapy, which is based on the idea that there are "no bad parts" within us. Even the negative reactions/trauma we exhibit have developed for a reason to help us cope with past experiences and are thus not inherently "bad."
Lovely. My most joyous mom moment is when my son knows where to find the yarrow and plantain in the yard for first aid. He is also my boy who will drink camomile tea from the flowers he harvested happily. Plant power!!
Love to hear this Melissa! Sounds like you have brought up your son very well. So many "weeds" have medicinal uses. It is something I would like to learn more about.
I think I'd like to disagree, kindly, tentatively, Englishly. I think you're right, that the names we give do matter. But I do think that there is a place for the idea of "weeds", without that being a hostile, domineering, controlling instinct.
"Part of our general aversion to weeds is we consider them as intruders to our curated worlds of perfect order." Yes, but to start abstractly. Paradise, the Garden of Eden, literally and etymologically, is an "enclosure/park", or a "walled garden". https://www.etymonline.com/word/paradise
And a walled garden needs work! This work is good. But it does require discrimination: that which we want to grow and that which we do not.
To speak less abstractly, I have a small vegetable garden at home. It is situated within a grass field. That field is very happy to remain as grassland: it is me that wants to grow vegetables, not the field. My "walled garden" (a bit of rabbit fencing, and a lot of wood-chip) wants to become grass. Grasses emerge all over the bloody place! This is not an unhealthy ecosystem, with "weeds" doing restorative work; rather, grass is one possible end-point of ecological succession. The hope, with enough wood-chip and mulch, is to move the dial towards a forest ecosystem (dominated by fungus rather than bacteria), so that grasses don't emerge naturally. But all the while that this process is unfolding, I am happy to consider grasses as weeds, and to pull them out.
And, to speak candidly, we are all lucky enough that the distinction between weeds as saints and sinners is an abstraction and the site of ideals, rather than a daily reality. There's a line of James Rebanks that's coming to mind: it's only when we are don't depend directly on land that we can "love nature" in its totality. If I depended on that vegetable patch for my survival, in a subsistence sense, the distinction between saint and sinner would be obvious and necessary.
I do think that there are more creative and sympathetic approaches to so-called undesirables that doesn't always lead to the nuclear option. Weeds as bio-indicators, or weeds as healers. But that creativity and sympathy doesn't exhaust the possibility of a good hand-rogue, even in a healthy farmed ecosystem.
Do feel free to disagree!
Thanks for this push back Leon,
I am broadly in agreement with you, and I certainly weed my own vegetable patch! I am thus much more sympathetic towards farmers who remove weeds, seeing as this is pretty much existential for them. Then again, overly clean fields have meant that we have lost many traditional farmland wildflowers such as corncockle (though I appreciate this is a poisonous plant). This loss of seed bearing wildflowers is party behind the steep losses in farmland birds. I would want, then, to see a little bit more tolerance towards some weeds in the farmed environment - how to practically go about this, well that is another (complex!) question.
Where I was going with this short piece (which dod lack nuance) was against the idealised lawn - which is an ecological desert - rather than the farmed environment. I want to see much greater tolerance towards wildlife's growing on our lawns both our private lawns and lawns maintained by overly zealous town councils.
I really enjoyed and appreciated this. It's definitely been a perspective shift for me regarding wildflowers. I garden in the Panhandle, and therefore, and face innumerable weeds, most of whom sting, cut, poison, and choke out the dandelions of the yard. I'd be interested in hearing your perspective on weeds that though doing what they are designed to do, are fundamentally harming the rest of the environment around them? I love this article when applying to wildflowers or any number of "weeds," but struggle to apply this to say, Dollar Weed, which is a common plant that smothers and eventually creates a desert backyard unless I keep it in check.
This is a really interesting question Sharon. We have the same problem over here in the UK with some weeds that take over. A few observations come to mind. Often, plants that take over a habitat are foreign invasive species (e.g. in the UK, Himalayan balsam, Japanese Knotweed and in the US, Kudzu). Invasives are plants that are growing where they ecologically should not. I see no problem in treating these as weeds.
At other times, native species can develop invasive habits. Often this is an indicator that an ecosystem is in poor health - normally, ecological processes and relationships would keep their natural numbers in check.
Then there is the question of harmful species. In the UK, the only common species that is going to cause pain is stinging nettle, while I know you in the US have poison ivy and poison oak to name just a few. Again, removing these species is fine in my opinion - though it is worth noting that these noxious species may be providing a home and food source to other species that we cherish, such as butterflies in the UK which make use of stinging nettle.
Finally, there is a really interesting conceptual model used by scientists to distinguish between weeds/wildflowers. There is a spectrum which runs as follows:
Domesticated crops/flowers - Encouraged weeds (beneficial wildflowers) - Tolerated weeds (neutral wildflowers) - Discouraged weeds (wildflowers with somewhat harmful/invasive qualities) - Noxious weeds (invasive/highly harmful wildflowers or foreign invasive species).
Thank you for the thorough and helpful response, Hadden. That is very helpful for categorizing weeds, and I appreciate the information.
Thanks for the perspective shift, Hadden. All kinds of wildflowers are popping up on my lawn at the moment. 👍
They are so persistent that I have decided to enjoy the result. :) Almost looks like a little alpine meadow back there!
Sounds wonderful Neil! Next step, learn some of their names :)
(And if the result of this reflection I have written is a little wildflower meadow in a garden in Flitwick, then what more could I want!)
That's a great idea. I'll have to find out what they're called.
And yes, I think we can attribute their survival to your writing! Haha
Wild flower every time! Daisies on the lawn look lovely!
Compassion can stem from understanding why things act the way they do. I liked your line -- "What the weed is actually doing is growing where it naturally should. It is doing what it was designed to do." It reminded me of Internal Family Systems Therapy, which is based on the idea that there are "no bad parts" within us. Even the negative reactions/trauma we exhibit have developed for a reason to help us cope with past experiences and are thus not inherently "bad."