Every Seed That Ever There Was

The rain has caused every dormant seed in my soil to leap into life. Plants from the past have popped up, including white pansies I planted three years ago.

I usually get a few forget-me-nots here and there. I like them very much but I try to pull them before they go to seed. This year they are everywhere and have not only set seeds but a second crop of new plants is on the way. Fortunately they are easy to remove.

Lady’s mantle is dotted in every bed when formerly a bit of it grew in one back corner. It is a tall phlox like plant with a pretty mauve flower. It too is easy to remove before it sets seeds. The species clematis against the house has always produced more vines than the supports can carry.. This year they have over reached and moved into the roses as a first step to take over the world. Today I removed armloads of the soft viness with the lovely cup shaped mauve flowers.

Each section of the garden has its resident weeds. Plantain rules the sun garden. This is an interesting plant, originating in Europe, and called “the white man’s foot print” because it has spread all over the world with European travelers. It has medicinal properties. If you get a rash on your hands from stinging nettles or other plant, pick a handful of plantain leaves, crush them with your hands and rub the pulp on the skin. Will it work for poison ivy? I don’t know. But I remember on a canoe trip, walking in a field of ferns and getting a terrible red itch on my legs. Plantain cured it immediately.

Chickweed tries to take over the shed garden. The dandelions in the lawn are getting desperate. Having been chopped down by the mower several times, they are setting their flower heads lower and lower. Who says plants can’t think.

Grass has snuck into the fronds of the iris and into the arabis. It is easy to remove from the arabis because this spreading plant can be folded back and the grass exposed. However, it’s tough to get grass out of iris and the only sure way is to divide the plant.

Meanwhile, while I am fighting the weed battle, the peonies have started to bloom. The Siberian iris - the light blue “Sky Wings,”, the darker “Caesar’s Brother,” and the lovely mauve “Sparlin’ Rosie”- are all out in full fig. The hansa rose is bursting with flowers as is the red leafed rose. The latter has a spicy scent. The two large Preston lilacs are covered with flowers as is the white Mrs. Casmir Perrier, a double French.

Tip: Now is the time to buy perennials while they are on sale. Consider getting a few pots of lamium “Nancy White,” a variegated leafed plant that looks good along the edges of gardens in partial shade.