Do you have any particular thoughts about weeds? I do, and most of them have come while I was pulling them.
The garden is a magnificent place that gives far beyond fragrance and flavor, to feed the soul and stir the spirit … if allowed.
Now, although I was rather meticulous about keeping the garden beds (back in Virginia) free of weeds, I recognized they certainly have their place (or they wouldn’t be here … right?). One of the first “weeds” most folks would name if asked is always at my home because it’s such a potent healer; dandelion. If you get a wild hair, feel free to check out this link touting the benefits of weeds. You’ll find the dandelion mentioned there … and while I agree in many respects with the article’s premise, when it came to the garden I was tending, they didn’t have a place reserved without invitation.
For the most part, I took my time when I pulled them. I would sit next to a bed and systematically move through it, going for the root each time. I knew quite well that snatching the “green” from atop the soil (without getting the root) was pretty much a waste of time. As well, I always wanted to try and get them while they were young (tender little morsels ~ 🙂 ) … before they became a mama, papa, grandma, and grandpa … all in one fell swoop! I know, it’s terrible … ain’t it!
Once I had gotten them under control, maintenance wasn’t too terribly difficult … but I was always aware that it didn’t take much time at all for them to regain their foothold if I didn’t pay attention. I stopped by Mt. Hebron (the house in the valley) when I visited Virginia a few months ago and I was blown away by the garden. Since I had left two years ago, no one has lived there … although the owners did arrange to have the lawn cut. They decided to cut around the garden and just “let it go” … and boy, did it! I don’t think there was a square inch that wasn’t home for something. Granted, there was a bit of color peaking out from the jungle-like mass … but it was scarcely recognizable in comparison to what it had been. Many of the plants simply couldn’t hold their own.
It was a “green reminder” that “only the strong survive.”
Part of my desire for the garden was to give flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables a place to thrive. Sometimes they did and sometimes they struggled. Much in the same way we do.
And herein lies a reminder that was offered one day to me during a time in the garden … that we too must keep our ground free from weeds.
What are these weeds you ask? Well, I’m going to bypass throwing words at this question for now … mostly because you know the answer. And if you say you don’t, perhaps you don’t know yourself very well.
Some like to think they can coexist with “weeds” … that their “fruit and flower” will still be just as strong … just as vital. But all one must do is look at what nature shows us. What may seem insignificant and is allowed to “enter in and sit” with us may one day overtake our house. The implications reach far and wide.
Take a moment to consider your life as a garden. What is it like? What grows there … and what struggles? And by chance, is there evidence as to why the latter does so?
