define: weed

Having a big garden can mean lots of work. Like our house, the gardens* that we inherited had lots of potential, but had been taken for granted. (*Read: weed orchards)

I hope that some of the ground cover eventually helps to choke out the weeds, but alas, I know there will always be junk to pull out. Or shall I say, "monster weeds to painstakingly excavate."

This is one small area I decided to tackle this weekend:

I glared at this scene for quite some time before getting started.

Sometimes, the most overwhelming part for me is not the AMOUNT of weeds, but the proper identification of weeds. My friend Steph, (horticulturist-extraordinaire and owner of The Blue Daisy Floral Designs) has assured me that a weed is simply defined as: "any plant that the gardener decides is a nuisance."

Beautiful Rose of Sharon flowers!

For a very good example, I recently transplanted a few Rose of Sharon shrubs from around my house. I love them and I want them to be fruitful and multiply! Steph (among others) thought I was insane for allowing the Rose of Sharon to thrive. Yes, they can be invasive and hard to get rid of, but they'll never be a weed to me!

So for me, my weed death list includes: "anything that looks weedy or isn't blooming." Here you will see Exhibit A. Horrifyingly huge weeds taking over with thick, twisting roots. Some were about 4' high and deceivingly deep. Even the small ones were challenging to remove and may or may not have ended up with me on my butt.

The hulking weeds from hell.

I think their removal might have literally involved some blood, sweat and tears, but in the end, it's worth it. Now, I have this one little weed-free haven of my garden to enjoy.

Stay tuned for the nightmarish sequel featuring the other half of the weed orchard. Unless, that is, I decide to take advantage of the definition of a "weed" and just embrace all greenery. That's sounding good right about now! :)