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Weeds Are Just Unloved Flowers

September 15, 2008 By: Anna18 Comments

Picture 138

Weeds are unwelcomed guests in your garden beds, cracks in the sidewalk, and throughout your lawn. We curse them, try and kill them, and they bring out the beast in us as we yank them root and all from the Earth. Personally, I never have so much satisfaction as when I am pulling those suckers right out the ground. It is down right peacefull except when I end up pulling flowers that I thought were weeds.

When I plant my garden, I always swear that I will mark where I plant. The best laid plans of mice and men (in my case, women), right? Well, my markers fall down and I am not sure what I planted. So my weed friends grow and I am not sure if they are flowers or foes. Sometimes, I wait until they are large and call for reinforcements by sending my weed pictures to my county master gardener extension. I am always hoping that they will tell me that some bird dropped a master piece in my garden.

One day, I sent my pictures over to the master gardeners. I was all excited about one weed and swore it was special. The woman on the phone explained that “weeds are flowers that we don’t think are beautiful.”

Wow. Pretty profound, don’t you think?  Some weeds have really beautiful flowers and I wonder why they are weeds.

Take a look at the picture above. Is this not an amazing weed?

Picture 136

With its white trumpet flowers?

Picture 135

And green fuzzy balls? So, gardeners what is it???  Tell me this is a weed. I dare you.

Weeds I think are like people. Some you find to be nuisance; Others you find they rub you the wrong way or make your world less beautiful. Just like people, weeds are all a part of Mother Nature. Why do we despise them so much? Why do make sure our lawns are pristine, not a hair of dandelion or clover left in the wake? Why do we spend so much money on watering and fertilizing our lawns? Is it a reflection of our perception of beauty?

Perhaps weeds are a metaphor for accepting what is not perfect in our world. Finding the beauty in everything?

Personally, I think we should stop and smell the flowers whether they are from weeds or plants. Spend less time trying to make our world so perfect and let a little weed mess up our landscape canvas.

What are your thoughts about our obsession with weeds? Do you see any parallels with weeds in our own lives?

Similar Posts:

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  • Natural Weed Killers. Learn What Works.
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  • Newspaper Suppresses Weeds. Apply in the Fall, Less Work in Spring

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Hyla says

    September 15, 2008 at 11:26 pm

    I do not have any problems with weeds. Not sure how they became labeled as “bad” they are still nature, right? They still help to reduce the carbon in our air….

    Hyla
    http://earthyfinds.blogspot.com

    Hylas last blog post..Kids are Awesome!

    Reply
  2. 2

    Mary says

    September 17, 2008 at 2:56 pm

    If the flower was bigger, it would be a moon flower so I’m guessing that it’s in the same family only a wilder version. The leaves look alike.

    Reply
  3. 3

    FJL Nong says

    September 20, 2008 at 5:30 am

    Hi
    Sometimes weed has beautiful flowers, u know there are some beautiful flowers in the wild where people regard them as weed, but then when someone stumbles upon them and commercial them, hey presto, they become exotic plants..yours there seems a papaya leaf look alike but not quite as it is smaller..I love to see more..we can share each other the plants in our place..

    from the other part of the world.
    Malaysia
    FJL Nong.

    FJL Nongs last blog post..Sweet Potato, betel nut

    Reply
  4. 4

    Watch anime Online says

    October 4, 2008 at 11:31 am

    I like the way you think of flowers, i never use Weedicides on my plants, because they are just leave, just because they are of no use, we cant kill them, can we ?
    Thanks for the great post again !

    Watch anime Onlines last blog post..Naruto Shippuden 78 -79 English subbed

    Reply
  5. 5

    John Rigby says

    December 18, 2008 at 8:20 am

    I was just thinking about Weeds Are Just Unloved Flowers and you’ve really helped out. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. 6

    Flower says

    January 4, 2009 at 2:16 am

    “weeds are flowers that we don’t think are beautiful.”- I just love that line. I guess it’s all in the way we see them. This post is quite metaphorical.

    Reply
  7. 7

    Types of Weeds says

    January 16, 2009 at 8:27 am

    There’s a good deal of beauty to be found in weeds. Many produce very nice looking flowers.

    Reply
  8. 8

    Juan-South Florida Landscaper says

    January 22, 2009 at 2:21 am

    I don’t really like weeds but I don’t hate it either and I still have many of those in my backyard that still somehow adds beauty to my backyard garden.

    Reply
  9. 9

    Zero says

    May 10, 2009 at 4:24 am

    Yes, some weeds have really beautiful flowers. There are some weeds that I didn’t took off from my garden because they produces beautiful flowers. Although their flowers are small and cannot be put in the vase, they add color to my garden. So, I really agree with what the woman on the phone said that weeds are flowers that we don’t think are beautiful.

    Reply
  10. 10

    Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green says

    April 18, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    That white flower is so pretty! I think my yard looks nice with all the flowering weeds, we have blue, yellow and white ones. I think they are prettier than boring grass. 🙂
    .-= Lisa @Retro Housewife Goes Green´s last blog ..Happy Earth Day Celebration Week! =-.

    Reply
  11. 11

    Plumbers Berkeley says

    August 15, 2010 at 11:14 am

    Plants is the essence of survival and basic necessity of mankind. Some provides healing and some are deadly. I have to say that this plant on the photo is lovely!

    Reply
  12. 12

    Wouldliketo remain Annonymous says

    February 14, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    this is a variety of Belladonna, also called Angel’s trumpet flower of the DATURA family of species. look up for either of the words on line n u will get info. In eastern & oriental countries like combodia, vietnam, korea, myanmar etc in the olden days this was used for medicine. the whole plant including roots were used for medicine in combination with other plants. this family comes in many colours flowers n diff sizes of flowers with slight variation to the trumpet edges n leaf. If one dosent know how to make medicine then one should not try as this is a very TOXIC plant. WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING IT! mostly the medicine was topicaly sued only. My grandmother used it for her rheumatism/arthrities in combination with Periwinkle & other plants to make a nature-cure medicine. I never learnt it so I dont know how, but my parents & grandparents generation people used to grow it for many diff uses for medicine as well as some kind of treatment for garden plants too!!! thank u.

    Reply
    • 13

      Anna@Green Talk says

      February 14, 2011 at 10:34 pm

      Anon, thanks so much for the information. I didn’t realize it was poisonous to touch. I can’t figure out how they keep popping up in my garden. I thought they were an annual. Anna

      Reply
  13. 14

    cygon says

    June 1, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    I love dandelions. they are medicinal and nutritious, from flower to root.
    there is a common weed in my native country with leaves that fold when you touch them. we used to stomp on them cuz they were so common. waddaya know they costs at least $20 per plant kit (seeds?) in the science museum.

    Reply
  14. 15

    Suzanne Giancoli says

    May 22, 2016 at 6:03 am

    I have a beautiful ground cover that people call a weed. In the Spring it blooms into beautiful little purple flowers that I bring in and put in vases. They were given to me by a woman who called them “sweet william” but I looked up sweet william and it does not look like them. I will send a picture soon.

    Reply
    • 16

      Anna@Green Talk says

      May 24, 2016 at 9:36 pm

      Is it creeping charlie? Take a look at the pictures or is it dead nettle?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Green Mom Dish about How they Dig Spring | Green Talk™ says:
    April 14, 2010 at 12:28 pm

    […] friendly tricks.  Plus, Diane reminds us to not sweat the little stuff. Er, weeds.  Remember, weeds are only unloved flowers.  Diane and I both love laying newspaper over the soil to keep the weeds from rearing their heads. […]

    Reply
  2. Black Decker 24 Volt Cordless String Trimmer. A Greener Weed Wacker | Green Talk™ says:
    August 5, 2010 at 12:04 pm

    […] I hate weeds.  There I said it.  I know. I am the green garden girl but weeds just pop up in the most absurd places making me a little bit testy since they are hard as heck to pull out.  Plus, who has the time? I’m sorry. I just don’t buy that weeds are unloved flowers. […]

    Reply

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