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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I feel your pain, Sue. Every year, we win the battle, we stand in awe of the beauty that nature and we have created - at least for a few weeks. But it is a 1,000-year war that never ends. I have learned to ignore the oxalis and the wild garlic. It is pointless to tear them out - and at least there is a sweet little flower. But fox-tails and burs!? Noooooooo!

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Sue Cauhape's avatar

Yes, selective weeding rips out the noxious and, sigh, the ugly in favor of the lovely foliage and flowers. We were curious about this mad burst of tall things with flowers spikes on them. It only amounted to tiny white flowerettes, so Jeff ripped out the whole mess, exposing a patch of red clover that we planted and other dainties. Noxious! Remember that word and use it as your mantra for weeding. 🤣

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

"Noxious" and "Invasive". Effective criteria.

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Sue Cauhape's avatar

Noxious covers a multitude of sins: invasive, poisonous, non-nutritious for animals, wildfire fuel, just plain ain't no good fer nothin'.

Invasive is just a migrant who settled in and found happiness.

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E.R. Flynn's avatar

I hear ya. We've been selectively viewing which weeds are beneficial and which to dump salt and vinegar on. I've noticed recently here in Vancouver, in neighborhoods free from HOAs, that some folks are choosing to let their yards go wild, which I think is pretty neat and good for the wild pollinators.

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Sue Cauhape's avatar

It's a healthy trend to foster. Tally-ho.

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