Weeds: The wacky, weird and wicked weeds of Philadelphia

Although weeds are destructive, they can also be beautiful, in the right place, and at the right time -- for instance, take those dark green, umbrella-like weeds that grow along the roadside and wooded areas; they’re called Mayapple or Mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum); it adds a lot of texture in the shade. How about those shade-loving, low-growing, glossy, dark green, heart-shaped weeds that have tons of yellow paper-like flowers and grows everywhere in mass, especially in the shade; it’s called Lesser celandine, and they’ll disappear right before your eyes in a few weeks. What about that carpet-like white and blue flowered weed that grows low in mass in your lawn; it’s called Corn Speedwell (Veronica arvensis). And finally, what about Hairy bittercress; the weed with white flowers that when the seedpods are ripe the seeds explode right in the eyes. These weeds can be found in the slideshow; but identifying weeds is pretty easy these days. Just type a short description of the weed on Google and you’ll more than likely find it.

Weeds are basically annual and perennial plants that are growing outside of their natural environment and are manytimes considered hybrid plants in other locations on the earth. One man's trash is another man's treasure; who can hate violets? But ridding your garden of weeds can be a challenge. Gardeners must remove them by pulling them from the roots as soon as possible. Common perennial weeds in the Philadelphia region that gardeners usually deal with are dandelion, clearweed, portulaca, thistle, ragweed, Bishop’s weed, gout weed, garlic mustard, clover, common milkweed, prickly sow thistle, mile-a-minute weed, crabgrass, and even honeysuckle. Weeds share a common bond, they grow quickly, produce lots of seeds, survive harsh environments, and impact the natural environment.

View slideshow: Wacky Weeds

Weeds in the garden are unavoidable. Once they establish themselves firmly in the soil, they can rob your plants of nutrients and water, and eventually take over the garden. Ridding your garden of weeds can be a challenge. Gardeners must remove them by pulling them from the roots as soon as possible. A perennial weed that most of us are familiar with is the dandelion. In order to keep dandelions from popping up everywhere, gardeners must not only pull the weed before it goes to seed, but they must also remove the tap root. Their cotton-like seed heads distribute many seeds into the air when the wind blows. In order to keep dandelions from popping up everywhere, gardeners must not only pull the weed before it goes to seed, but they must also remove the tap root. The dandelion’s taproot is brittle, deep, twisted, and can grow up to ten inches long. It seems like the more you try to remove dandelions, the more they pop up. You have to remove these weeds completely, or they will regenerate. "Wildman” Steve Brill, the well-known naturalist from New York has the following humorous analogy on his website: “‘What’s a dandelion digger for?’ a dandelion asked. ‘It’s a human invention to help us reproduce,’ another dandelion replied.”(1) Roots are so powerful that they can even damage a home.

There are two major types of root systems, taproot andfibrous. In a taproot system, the root grows straight down. In some plants, the taproot is edible; for example: carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, and turnips are all edible taproots, which are also called root vegetables. Grass is an example of a plant with a fibrous root system. These slender fibrous roots grow out in all directions and can grow extensively. Most roots grow underground and anchor the plant in the soil; then they absorb the water and minerals that a plant needs to grow.

You can either manage weeds with chemicals or maintain weeds naturally, by pulling them by the roots. In order to permanently rid yourself of almost any plant, you must remove the root in its entirety; and getting to the root is no joke. Some weeds are extremely difficult to eliminate because they have amazing root systems. The Canadian thistle root can grow to a depth of 20 feet. Leafy spurge, for example, has roots that grow four to eight feet deep. Wikipedia claims that the longest root ever recorded was from the Boscia albitrunca in the Kalahari Desert (2) which measured 68 miles long. In many cases, if you leave just a little bit of the root in the ground, a plant can regenerate and re-appear. And don’t think you can divide and conquer, because if you happen to chop one of these roots into many small pieces, it’s like cloning; you will have reproduced the villain.

Weeds not only make a garden look bad, but they can cause a garden to perform badly by stealing water and nutrients from healthy plants. Weeds also block plants from oxygen, as well as, the sun. If the weed is left alone, it will produce weed seeds that will come back to haunt you next year. When we ignore the root of our problems, the same thing can happen to us. Remember, what happens beneath the surface determines what grows above the surface.

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