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| Poke flowers turn into poke berries with the help of flying insects. |
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| Stalks of poke berries feed 61 bird species, and yet this tall, graceful plant is scorned by many. My rule is - cut at the base in the Rose Garden, let it spread in the back gardens. |
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| Poke greens are usually boiled twice. |
When something is unusually expensive, it holds our attention. I found Weeds, Guardian of the Soil mentioned in another book and looked up the price. $600 - and that was when $600 was a lot of money.
I got a Dow Library copy and studied it, definitely a classic. Later I bought Weeds of the West to understand what was growing in my Arizona back yard.
By now I should know the weeds of my yard, but they have accomplices. Poison hemlock is easily found here, and I had one robust example, which I removed carefully.
Yesterday I found two somewhat familiar weeds growing like I planted them there - or even better. I put a few words in Google and "mullein" appeared. It has many nicknames, like Indian blanket. It takes a second year to send up its stalk of flowers, which go to seed. Birds must have brought it in, air express.
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| Mullein also has medicinal uses. |
A few more words indicated "wild grape vine," a prolific weed known for growing grapes and spreading its seeds via birds. My grass alley was already under siege and the bee balm up front was showing off a start of wild grape.
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| Wild strawberries are loved so dearly by birds that they plant them everywhere. |
God's Creation must have a purpose, but many miss it. One Facebook friend said she was furious with the four dandelions on her property and called them weeds. I pointed out their nutritious greens, their flowers used for hummingbird nests, and their roots a substitute for coffee. They are herbs that escaped the colonial gardens and they only do good things for us. A yellow dandelion flower is free but a yellow daisy has a price - so we curse the no cost dandelion?
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| Wine for the wine-bibbers, lining for the hummingbird nests, nutritious greens for salads, and Scotts Lawn and Gardens wants everyone to shrivel them enough so they can bloom every year. |
A good rule is to leave mystery plants alone, especially since home garden culture is mostly stocked by no-nothings at Walmart and hardware stores. A true gardening center will explain plants and how they grow.
Birds enjoy sharing their favorite foods with us. They distribute poke weed and wild strawberries for me, yielding even more poke berries and strawberries. A neighbor disparages poke because it is so common in the South (and also loved as a salad, twice cooked). I enjoy poke as a domineering backyard garden flower and free bird feeder. Their berries feed more bird species than any other.
Wild strawberries also travel by air and find places to grow whether in shade or sunshine. They spread out looking for open soil and often get their start under tree branches or next to tree stumps.
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| Homely hollyhocks will always have women saying, "I made doll dresses out of them when I was a little girl!" They are another landing zone for bumble bees. |
