A Flower, A Weed, Or An Opinion?

 

Welcome to July and my first outdoor garden in many years. To say I am excited would be an understatement!  At first glance it's not much to look at. I went for container gardening rather than in-ground because of expected construction in the yard this summer. To that end I just arranged some pots, put in what I most wanted to grow, and tried to make it look pretty knowing I might have to move it. So far I have cherry tomatoes, two kinds of lettuce, basil, rosemary, spearmint, marigolds, and petunias. The wooden bear is a gift from my sister that I've had since my first big garden 30 years ago ... he held up well! The rest is just window dressing. What I like most about container gardening is not having to worry so much about weeds. Then again, I've always thought that weeds get a bad rap in the gardening world, much like some people.

I once heard a very famous English gardener, Rosemary Very, say that weeds were just plants growing where you didn't want them growing. They weren't inherently good or bad, just taking up a space you wanted for something else. Dandelions probably have the worst reputation and is the reason those horrible weed killers like Round Up were invented. In reality, dandelions are perfectly healthy plants and beneficial to wild life. They are the first source of food for bees in the spring, their roots make medicinal teas, and their petals can be eaten. Yet someone decided that poisoning the soil and ground water was more beneficial so they could grow lovely but useless lawns. The poor dandelion lives or dies by the opinion of others. 

Sadly, that's the way a lot of people are treated as well, especially these days. Whether someone is useful or not, good or bad, welcome or not, is not based on who they are or what they do but on what others decide about them. The folks who pick your produce in the fields are just as entitled to live and grow as you are. The ones who run your favorite ethnic restaurants are just as talented in the kitchen and worthy of praise as a Five-Star chef

Mother Nature must have created dandelions for a reason. Maybe before we form an opinion based on the prejudices of others, we'd be better off getting to know more about them for ourselves. Just like discovering a new friend where you'd least expect to, you might just discover that what once was a weed turns out to be a valuable addition to your life.

And so it is.