Weeds I Love to Hate

I have written several posts about weeds I appreciate. I was going to sum them up here, but there were just too many of them and time is short tonight. Instead I will show you the weeds I love to hate. Two of them are beautiful in their season but too poisonous for me to want close to the house or in the garden and orchard areas.  The third is not poisonous -- but ugly and hard to pull. These are the weeds I love to hate. We'll start with poison oak, pictured below.

I have written extensively about poison oak and how to identify it and deal with it, so I won't repeat that here. Some of those articles are in the related links below.

It's hard to get rid of poison oak once it has made its home on your property. We have too much to get it all out, so we tolerate what grows far from the house in places humans rarely go. We do have a couple of plants that like to come back every year and live under this pyracantha shrub, right near the trunk. We had gotten rid of them when this picture was taken, but they have come back again this year and will have to be sprayed. Poison oak  is the one plant I will spray if it's growing where people are likely to be.

Pyracantha Shrub Poison Oak Likes to Grow Under, © B. Radisavljevic

The second plant I would like to get off my property is poison hemlock, another plant I've written a lot about in other places. (See Poison Hemlock: Lovely and Lethal.) It is lovely, but it is also very deadly if ingested. It's what killed Socrates.

The individual plants aren't too hard to pull, but one should wear gloves. The problem is that the plants don't come alone. They come in multiples and make a forest if they grow up. They resemble some vegetables and herbs, so one has to be careful. Poison hemlock has a sickening smell, unlike wild carrots or parsley, which it resembles.  It is pictured here intermingling with the weed I hate the most -- a grassy weed.

Poison Hemlock Growing with Grassy Weeds, © B. Radisavljevic

 Why do I hate the grassy weeds? Unlike poison hemlock, which has a long tap root like a carrot, the grasses have a root system that doesn't want to budge. Once they get a few inches tall they are a real pain.

When I started to redo my front yard in Paso Robles, these grassy weeds had made a home there and intermingled with the roots of the juniper bush and calendula. You can see it in the photo below.

In  photo #1, top left, you see the grass coming from under the juniper bush.

In photo #2, top right, you see the grass close up, stubbornly staying put while I'm trying to pull it. I actually broke my weeding tool trying to get it out.

In photo #3, bottom left, after I finally dug it out, you  can see the root system. Each root clings to its own bit of ground and resists any effort to remove it.

In photo #4, bottom right, is a grassy weed I almost had cleaned out, but it is intertwined with the roots of my calendula and I could not pull the weed without pulling the flower out.

I should also mention that I tried to pull the weeds without gardening gloves that would protect my arms above the wrists. Juniper bushes are sharper than I had realized. I have since gotten better gloves for when I need to work around the juniper and the roses.  I also purchased and now use a garden kneeler so I can be more comfortable weeding on my knees. I have arthritis, and this helps. Here's my review of the garden kneeler I use. 

Pulling a Grassy Weed, © B. Radisavljevic

This is why I hate the grassy weeds the most. I usually have several species of them competing for space. I try to put them when they are small, but while I had restricted activities after all my surgeries the past two years, the weeds got a head start. The gardener here at least trims the tops of those that grow apart from the plants I want. I believe I will smother them with black  plastic next autumn, or even before that. I've pretty much given up gardening in Templeton.

Which weeds do you most love to hate? 

If you found this post useful, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of the post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning. You see the poison hemlock and grassy weeds growing together in our orchard in Templeton. 

This is my twenty-third post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is plants, since this is a gardening blog. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Apple Blossoms
B is for Bottlebrush
C is for Carnations
D is for Daisy
E is for Elderberry
F is for Flowers
G is for Gazania
Hollyhocks are Edible
Irises Are Garden Survivors
Jupiter's Beard: A Mystery Finally Solved
Kale for Lunch
Lion's Tail - A Perennial Summer Burst of Orange
Miner's Lettuce is Tasty and Free"Naked Ladies" Bloom in August
Oleander through the Year
Plant Pests and their Predators: Aphids and Ladybugs
Quince Fruit from Blossom to Table
Roses Are Not Just Red
Sages Add Color and Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Garden
Tansy and Fruity Teucrium Can be Garden Friends
Urushiol Will Make You Itch

Vetch Runs Wild

Related articles

• Be Very Careful When You See This
• Urushiol Will Make You Itch
• The Poison Hemlock at Larry Moore Park Grew Right through This Bench
• Weeds, Outdoor Living, and You
• Poison in the Park
• The California Weeds You Need to Pull Now!

The California Weeds You Need to Pull Now!

One Unpulled Thistle Leads to Lots of Work

One December afternoon I was pulling the result of letting two bull thistle plants reseed last year. One grew up amongst the roots of a grape vine. (See photo below.) You can see a fraction of its babies in the picture to the left. We were never able to pull this parent weed because bull thistles love to infest hard to reach places.

Small patch of bull thistle weeds near a grape vine.

 B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

You can see the bare branches of the grape vine among the baby thistle patch. There are even more on the other side you can't see. I pulled all of this clump in one afternoon. Note: I finally pruned the vine and donned gloves to reach inside the enclosure to remove not only the pesky plant in that corner, but also the rest of the dead thistle stems and heads remaining inside.

This is the cage that supported and protected the now
 dormant grape vine. You can see the dead thistle
 heads which have reseeded both in and outside the cage.
I pruned the vine to get my gloved hands into the cage to
remove these.  

B. Radisavljevic, Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved

This grape vine was planted before we got this property, and it was protected from deer with a wire enclosure around it. The thistle that grew up in the middle of the vine inside this enclosure has been there for about three years because we couldn't figure out how to pull it. It's dead now, but it still took a lot of effort to get it out.  Its dead flowers are still at the top.

You can see how the thistles have worked themselves into places that make them hard to pull. Some are half in and half out of the cage. Some have roots buried under the rocks.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved

Last year's flowers, carrying seeds, are dead,
but the plant is very much alive.
I will not compost the seed heads.

 B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

I decided to weed this afternoon because we had our first really big rain storms last week. It completely soaked the ground, and it had dried just enough to be ideal for weed pulling. When it's too dry, you can't get the roots of perennial plants, and they will simply grow back. I had a few slip away from me today, even so. The roots are slippery, and the outer skin of the bull thistle will come off in your hand with the top of the plant, and you can't always grasp what's left. That's why it's so important to get them young.

This picture shows the thistle in bloom in the midst of my herb
 garden. I didn't pull it in time last summer, and I pulled
about 25 of its children out this afternoon.

 B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

Why did I decide, with all the weeds in my gardens and orchard, to attack the bull thistle first? Because, in my opinion, it grows the fastest and can do the most damage if it gets big enough to reseed. It's dangerous when it gets big because of its very sharp thorns. Think cactus, because it hurts almost as much if you touch it. Although its flowers are beautiful, like most other thistle flowers, it's a beauty you don't want in your garden.

These are the roots of some  baby bull thistles.You can see their
lengths as compared to the size of the leafy part of the plants.
 This is why you need to get these out while they are small.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

Above you see the roots of some thistle seedlings I pulled. Near the middle, you'll see one that is forked. The roots often go off in all directions to help their growth and anchor them firmly. I often pull plants with roots divided into two or three parts.

Note: I am not positive these are bull thistles. They might also be California thistles, since I live in California. Bull thistles can be found in all Pacific states. They look very much alike in the books, but whichever it is, you want to pull it right away while it's small if you see it growing in your garden.

The bull thistle's habit of mixing it up with other plants is shown here.
 It almost looks joined to the milk thistle beside it (white in leaves),
and they are surrounded by wild mustard.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

Next Pull Coyote Brush Seedlings

I have previously written on HubPages about the coyote brush, which blooms in the winter. I took additional pictures to help you recognize it while it's small. If you let coyote brush mature, you will not get it out. It will become a forest or a hedge. If that's what you want, at least make sure it's not given a chance to grow up where you don't want it.

Baby coyote brush seedlings close-up. Notice the notched, sawtooth edges, an identifying mark. It is easiest to pull at this stage while roots are only a few inches long.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

Coyote Brush not dangerous, poison, or prickly, but it spreads and grows fast. Pull it out when it's small, as in the  picture above, when it's hard to even see, or it will suddenly show up where you don't want it, as in the picture below. Today I found some baby coyote brush plants in the place where I park my car in front of my warehouse. Not good. I pulled any big enough for me to see and grip.

If you don't see that baby seedling in time to pull it small, it might grow right through the asphalt on your driveway, as this one did.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

This is a patch of coyote brush seedlings.
 It probably grew up in an environment like the one below.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

These are mature coyote brush plants. Some are male, some female. The white on the ground between them likely contains the seeds that will produce what you see above.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

These are the relative root sizes of some coyote brush plants I pulled. If you follow the link to Coyote Brush, Blessing or Curse, you'll see even longer roots.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

To pull these weeds you need the right tools.

Working on my garden kneeler

© B. Radisavljevic

Weeding can be a tedious job, often done on one's knees. It really helps to have the right tools. I could kick myself for not getting my garden kneeler sooner. I love my garden kneeler and reviewed it here.  Being able to kneel comfortably really helps in getting those tiny, hard-to-see weeds that are so tedious to pull but which have roots a bit too long for hoeing. 

  Flexrake1000L Hula-Ho Weeder Cultivator with 54-Inch Wood Handle  If you run into a very large area covered with baby seedlings with undeveloped roots, this is a marvelous tool. In a matter of a few hours you can prevent a patch of weeds that would take days to spray or whack away once their roots are developed and a foot or more long. This hoe will scrape away all those seedlings which have almost no roots.

 Radius Garden 10202 Green Ergonomic Aluminum Weeder. This tool is just right when you have to pull weeds with roots several inches long that do not have tops of longer than about a foot high. (Unless it's coyote brush, in which case it might take the fork spade, or, in the worst case, the pick. )

Collins Pick 2-1/2 Lb. 36 " Bulk If you let the coyote brush get more than a foot high, this may be your only solution. You need this if you have long thick roots to get out. This pick is light enough for me to use. Men might prefer a heavier one. Where I live this would be needed for even shorter roots if the rocky ground is dry. I have often had to use it even to dig a planting hole where a shovel won't work.

Rose Pruning Gloves for Men and Women. Thorn Proof GoatskinLeather Gardening Gloves with Long Cowhide Gauntlet to Protect YourArms Until the Elbow (Medium) If you are dealing with any sort of thistle, you need long gloves, especially if the plants are mature. These gloves are ideal, since they are heavy enough to keep you from getting hurt and they also protect your forearms. These are for women, but you can click through to find the men's model.

Tommyco 34110 Garden Bucket Bagger Plus (Bucket Not Included) I love having something to carry my hand tools, phone, camera, water bottle, etc. in. I normally use a bucket, but I'd prefer to have the caddy to fasten to the bucket and use the bucket to collect all those seedlings I'm pulling. This is on my wish list.

Get Rid of Poison Hemlock, Mallow, and Milk Thistle Next

Learn to identify poison hemlock in this article. I have it pictured very small here. You need to pull it next because it's evil. It is a lethal, though beautiful, plant, that can easily be confused with other plants in the same family. It has a long tap root. It grows quickly.

This is a new crop of poison hemlock for this year. If you think it might be carrot, smell it. Carrots and parsley will have familiar smells. Poison hemlock smells musty/sweet and evil. These are already too big for the cultivating hoe. Pull them.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

These are baby milk thistle plants struggling
to see which of them will survive. The largest one
shows its milky vein markings already.
 These are still small enough to get with a hoe
or the weed cultivator shown above.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

Poison hemlock often grows in company with milk thistle-- in fact it almost always does in Paso Robles and Templeton. Milk thistle can be tolerable, and if you don't want it, it can wait a bit longer, since it's not too difficult to pull even when it's big. Let poison hemlock get big and you'll have a poison forest to deal with. You'll see what I mean if you check out the two articles linked to above.

The largest plant here is a mallow. It's probably still
 small enough to pull. Behind it is the beginning of a
poison hemlock plant. See the frilly leaves?   The tiny plants
in front of the mallow appear to  be milk thistle.
Get them with the hoe or cultivator.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

Mallow, often known as cheese plant, has its uses. You might want to eat it, for example. But it you don't want it, get it out early. It has grown higher than my head in the past. Nothing is less fun to face in your garden area in the spring than a forest of mixed mallow, poison hemlock, and milk thistle.

I happen to know, because I have faced it. Fortunately, I was able to hire someone stronger than I to cope with it. It was one of our wetter years, and there was not enough time between storms for the ground to dry out. You can't effectively pull weeds out of mud. By the time it was dry enough to pull the weeds, the forest had grown already and the weeds were literally over my head. If you hack off the tops, the plants grow back. About all that hacking does is prevent or delay reseeding for the season.

Every year I resolve to save myself this work by applying a heavy mulch of newspaper over the garden at the end of summer when all the plants have been pulled. Every year life intervenes and I don't do it. Every square foot you manage to cover with something that blocks light, but lets water through, will save you hours of work when the rains stop falling.

Remember, Get Them When They're Small

As I looked over my land a couple of weeks after the rain, I saw next year's milk thistle crop where that patch of green is. If I had a plow, I'd use it, but I don't. It will be a forest by summer, but I have to concentrate on the garden area. Too much to hoe.

Source: B. Radisavljevic, ©2012 All Rights Reserved

What weeds cause you the most problems where you live?

Related articles

• What blooms in December in Paso Robles?
• National Seed Swap Day
• The Life Stages of Lamb's Ears

Quick Botany Lesson in the Field in Early Spring

Every year after the rains, the weeds become lush and everybody but me around here starts thinking about chemical weed abatement. That's   why I intend to give the men a quick botany lesson in the field so they can identify the real weeds. 

I prefer to pull the weeds by hand as I have time, since it provides good exercise and lots of material for the compost heap (except for poisonous plants). When the men around here see weeds, they automatically think about Round-up and mechanical sprayers. I make one concession -- the path to the garden -- since I do have to get out there and be able to get the gate open. Other than that, it's a race to see who gets to the fields first -- me or my weed abatement man or husband.


John, our weed abatement man, bless his heart, doesn't seem to know what a wildflower is -- or for that matter, an herb or flower not yet in bloom. They are all weeds to him. He has two ways to deal with what he perceives are weeds -- the sprayer and the tractor. A couple of years ago I made rock borders around my garden areas and told him to leave them alone, since he sprayed my sage that year and I made him wash it off before it was too late. He sprays first and I notice him when he's about half through. It may be a race again this year, since the tall grasses have overgrown and covered up the rock borders. When we pruned and cut branches from the fruit trees last month, I dragged the large branches to border the area where I seeded the poppies so that John would not be able to easily get the tractor through before I could notice him.

Weeds Be Wildflowers by gardening
Many more gardening aprons online at zazzle

So that left Hubby to instruct. He, at least, did appreciate the beauty of the poppy field last year, so he's willing to be dragged out to learn to tell the difference between flowers and weeds. I took him to the herb garden, almost completely overgrown, to show him what a California poppy looks like. He confessed to having sprayed some along the garden path. I showed him that Poison Hemlock, which I want him to spray, is different. I also tried to teach him the difference between wild mustard and Flanders Poppies, and what lupine looks like before it blooms.

California Poppy Plants Not Yet in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Just above are California poppy plants which will bloom soon. Below is poison hemlock, which smells sickeningly sweet if you pull it, and which will get to be six feet tall if you don't.

Poison Hemlock Seedlings,  © B. Radisavljevic

Below is a Flanders Poppy, beside the black pot. It will have lovely red flowers. There is a photo of a Flanders poppy in bloom in my Memorial Day post. Below it is wild mustard, which will grow to six feet in good soil and will send its roots deep.

Flanders Poppy Seedling beside the Black Pot, © B. Radisavljevic

Young Wild Mustard,  © B. Radisavljevic

Young Lupine before Blooming, © B. Radisavljevic

To the left is lupine, growing up and getting ready to bloom. I collect seed from the poppies and lupine each year, but I also let a number of them reseed.

Herb Garden in Early Spring, © B. Radisavljevic

I am looking forward to another field of poppies this year. It should appear in the herb garden (above), in front of the two tall shrubs (butterfly bush and sage), where you can already see their green tops, and for a long way behind them. The poppies are also growing all around the patch of ground above, so it ought to be a great view from my kitchen window later on. Meanwhile, I need to work on all those weeds that are trying to swallow the herbs, irises, and daffodils. Today I also planted some Lilies of the Nile in this bed this morning, but they are too small to see. How I love spring! 

For more on important weeds you need to pull in early spring, see my more recent post on California Weeds You Need to Pull Now.