Obnoxious Weed Day - Some Are Born Bad

 Borage grows easily and attracts beneficial insects - aka Bee Bread.

One weed - now a tribe - has formed a colony in the butterfly garden. The yellow flowers produce seed, but the plant spreads through its roots.

As every gardener knows, if the good plants are doing well, the obnoxious weeds are spreading faster than the latest fib from synod headquarters.

The blessing of weeds is their immediate take-over of bare soil, their robust growth a sign of healthy soil, and their roots feeding the soil population.

Was it foolishness that drove my ancestors to break up the prairie grass soil of Illinois and Iowa, fast-tracking the modern polished steel plow? Not at all. The soil was so rich that a man jumping down from a wagon would feel the ground shimmy like a giant pudding under his feet.

The wealth of the Great Plains soil came from centuries of prairie grass, with roots 30 feet deep, the herds of bison consuming and processing the nitrogen rich plants. God created an area of rich farmland, absent trees, that was only rivaled by the Ukraine. Grass, soil creatures, and herds of buffalo provided a future food source for millions and farm implement jobs for thousands. In fact, John Deere's efforts along the Mississippi promoted even more factories and brought Swedish immigrants to work them.

Seeing the rainy days ahead, I decided to wipe out this weed in a series of lightning strikes - not with Round Up, but with my lopping shears. I walked about the three garden spaces and chopped them off at ground level. Soon the plants were on the ground donating the nitrogen they used before to invigorate the soil again.

Living roots feed the soil, so I know that - by divine decree - those roots will make the soil even richer as they struggle to rebuild the colony of weeds. They will return, but so will I.

Comfrey is the Borage's cousin - with similar flowers - but serves as a bully plant for filling in spaces the weeds want to grab.

One permanent solution is to grow bully plants. I coined that term for desirable plants we want to grow then regret their size and vigor.

The Beauty Berry bushes that I once watered in the dry season - they have grown in girth - like church officials. The single Comfrey - that cousin to the Borage flowers - has grown with age, mostly at the waistline.

 The Beauty Berries are photogenic - and birds love them in late fall. The plants become impressive bushes in time.

When the Rain Falls, I Plant Borage

Borage is a rather sloppy looking plant, a small version of its cousin Comfrey. Boroage is known for decorating salads and makding people feel good.

I told our neighbor couple, "When they predict rain, I water the garden." They laughed, because many rain predictions have come to nothing this summer. This one looked real, so I took the new package of Borage seed and spread it around the mulch, because it will easily germinate and grow there.

We have four mature plants now, within easy reach. Mrs. Ichabod likes to pull some flowers off each time she goes by them.

Gardening Know How
The borage companion plant is said to repel tomato worms and cabbage worms because borage attracts beneficial insects, such as bees and tiny wasps. As we know these are great plant pollinators, but they also repel garden pests. Additionally, borage works well in the garden alongside many types of herbs and flowers. So bring on the borage as a companion plant! Companion Planting with Borage Companion planting with borage is a rich subject. Borage has a reputation for improving the flavor and growth of strawberries. This may be due to the fact that it adds trace minerals to the soil. Borage leaves are known to contain potassium, calcium and Vitamin C.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Companion Planting With Borage – Plants That Grow Well With Borage
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/borage/companion-planting-with-borage.htm

Borage flowers come in pink and blue, so a jolly gardener may say the pink ones are girl flowes and the blue ones are boys. "Really?" No.

Borage is called Bee Bread because bees crawl over them all the time for food, and they drop seed because of it.

One study said that beneficial insects increased in the garden because of Borage, which does make sense. Even with Joe Pye, mints, daisies, myrtle, and other flowers in bloom, the insects will run into each other and look for other landing zones. I expect they also have specific liks for nectar and pollen.

The Painter Says
Sassy and I went out to walk between the episodes of rain, so we ended up with the painter's large family having a BBQ in the front yard. In the South we socialize in the front yard, and that is also a Mexican tradition.

He bought the rainbow collection of roses for his wife, $30 for five bare-root roses, so we talked gardening. His garden was obviously much bigger. He took my suggestion to move the sun-loving veggies to the sunny front yard.

He said, "The bush (Crepe Myrtle) never bloomed until you moved here. It just sat there."

I said, "I pruned it - just like roses. I put mulch, dead leaves and grass, and manure under it." He said, "And you water it."

Yes, I dote on it, and the Crepe Myrtle is the superstar of the neighborhood in all directions.

Comfrey - Set It and Forget It

 Comfrey has flowers similar to Borage and blooms all the time. The large plant tends to sprawl and gather insect holes, but it can be used to produce leaves for compost and mulch.

Comfrey builds self-esteem, because it sits there, grows, and flowers.

Comfrey - Or Knitbone: Big Relative of Borage

Comfrey flowers quickly turn to seed - and even more comfrey.

I did not have to look for comfrey in Michigan. The herb grows everywhere, so people consider it a weed. Organic gardeners like its green growth and deep roots, which mine minerals from the lower layers of soil.

Most plants are happy with feeding in the top 12 inches of soil. The plants with deep roots bring up those minerals that are out of reach of most plants. Tree leaves are a source of minerals, and so are the big green weeds often cursed, doused with Roundup, and cut down down with electric flails - weed-eaters indeed.

The big velvety Comfrey leaves are attractive, good for composting and mulching.
I suggest caution in using herbs for medicine,
since  opinions flourish on the Net.

Comfrey is on my list for the backyard next year. Near the alley, it will be a good screening plant and source for compost and mulch. Pumpkins will grow back there, too. I may grow very large butterfly bushes for a screen with sunflowers helping out while the bushes grow.

If it looks like the foot of a goose, it is goosefoot and good to eat.
I am a weed eater, when I know the weed is a good, healthy plant, related to spinach.

Learning the difference between good weeds and bad ones will help gardening projects. Goosefoot is big and green, with deep roots. Pigweed is similar, but not so nice. If compost and mulch producing plants are growing on their own and sheltering birds, why mow them down and bag them up for garbage?

This could become the official herb of the Church Growth Movement,
started by Karl Barth and Charlotte Kirschbaum,
imported by Fuller Seminary.

Daily Bird Care
Later I want the back part of the yard full of plants that will feed and shelter birds.

For now, I make sure there are many stations for drinking and bathing. A dozen total in the front and back yards always have fresh water from watering, and I dump out dirty water that could shelter mosquitoes.

If there is human food to share, I toss some out among the flowers, to encourage them to stop by regularly. The resident population will be based on food, shelter, and water, so an abundance and variety will encourage more birds and more species. Sassy spits out crust - she will only eat  medallions of cinnamon toast, and she leaves some snacks when they do not suit here. Crackers and stale bread might go out in the garden, but I like to toss a few peanuts instead.

Cardinals love to bathe but they are shy, so I will see one at the far end of the yard at this time, but eating at the feeder during the winter.