Who gets to decide,
Which is a flower?
And what is a weed?
I see bush and vine In my neighbor’s yard.
Both look pretty to me.
The photo shows a knockout rose bush, and (probably) an Autumn Clematis. It’s in our neighbor Bill’s yard (he hasn’t had much time to pay attention to his plants lately).
I know that if left unattended, the vine will eventually encompass the bush. And maybe that makes the difference.
Maybe one is native and one is not, but I’m not sure.
I just asked my wife Cathy, she of the green thumb, the answer, and she laughed, and then said “a weed is something unwanted, and unplanned in a garden. It robs the wanted plant of sunlight, nutrients and water. Some people think of the dandelion as a plant, but I don’t”
According to the Chicago Tribune, “In broad terms, a weed can be characterized as any specimen that a gardener feels is an unwelcome and annoying plant”…..hmmm, that’s a little harsh.
Maybe there’s no totally common definition of what makes a weed, but in nosing around on the Internet, I likes Ralph Waldo Emerson’s definition:
“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”
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I love Dandelions, and they do good things for neighboring plants. Plus, my ancestors used the flowers for wine, and I ate (eat) the fresh greens when I need something bitter for a tonic after a night of … well .. imbibing too much. As to your neighbor, that is a happy coincidence … the white flowered vine is Autumn Clematis, which has many virtues – smells wonderful, flowers when not much else is, and can be controlled easily – it is the best of weeds, if you ask me!
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You will have to take the dandelion discussion up with Cathy….;-).
Someone else also said they thought the plant was Autumn Climatis. And I agree, quite pretty.
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Many beautiful plants that are considered weeds have virtues that may be unknown to me. But when I look closely I can see that the birds, bees, caterpillars and butterfly’s seem to have discovered them and are exploiting them. Emerson’s definition seems to explain it wonderfully.
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Dawn – I think I agree. The free food program is always beneficial to something….;-)
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