March 28: Weed Appreciation Day. Have you hugged a weed today? (I know its everyday here with us)

Brad Davies wrote:Whooo Hooo!!!

errr umm wait... ..wrong kind....

*heads for door while taking off rasta hat and tie dye shirt*

Josephine Howland wrote:Cecile, I have the same type of "lawn" mother nature planted. We love our dandelions, as well as our orange and yellow Indian paintbrush, and lots of clovers, both red and white. The bees and butterflies enjoy them also.

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:Here is a link for the “better” dandelions. You would have to research yourself where you can find the seeds in your area:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/dandelion/growing-dandelion.htm

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:

Josephine Howland wrote:Cecile, I have the same type of "lawn" mother nature planted. We love our dandelions, as well as our orange and yellow Indian paintbrush, and lots of clovers, both red and white. The bees and butterflies enjoy them also.

Oh, yes, Josephine, I do have a little white clover and red clover that I planted in the orchard years ago. They do OK for 2 to 3 years, then they start fading. We also have the tall varieties of white clover and yellow clover [melilotus officinalis]. They flower at slightly different times, so you can extend the season by scattering the seeds together.
Those volunteer along the roads, and it is always a struggle to keep the phone company from spraying them and the County crew from mowing them when they are in bloom! Two years ago, I harvested a little of it from a few plants and planted these seeds in a border. I'll be harvesting them again and again and tuck them in where I don't mow. We also have a few butterfly weeds and the regular asclepias [common milkweeds] that I want to plant under my fruit trees: As long as I can't keep that area free of weeds, I might as well select the weeds I want to colonize around the trees, right?
Also from the ditch, I harvested a few liatris. It was quite easy in the Fall to go around and grab the spikes and pull the seeds off. On some, the bulb came with it! [A small bulb, the size of a hazelnut] I took half a dozen and planted them in one of my borders. Bees and butterflies come on them. It is a real joy. I love that they start flowering from the top and can make a real showing in the border. With a little improvement in the soil, they will be quite something to marvel at. I put the link for the search page so you can see the variety. Do you have some too?
https://www.google.com/search?q=liatris+bulbs&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiV7YXZvZTvAhXigU4HHcHiD9MQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=liatris+bulbs+&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgCMgQIIxAnMgIIADIECAAQHjIGCAAQCBAeMgQIABAYMgQIABAYMgQIABAYMgQIABAYMgQIABAYOgQIABBDUK7MBljl3AZgvYwHaABwAHgAgAFfiAGLCJIBAjEymAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=CbE_YNXEJ-KDuuoPwcW_mA0&bih=543&biw=1089&hl=en

I do not have any Liatris, they look beautiful! I so have a large about of iris that needs dividing, but it is very hard to do. I also have common daylilies that I dug when I was a child and planted near my childhood home. When my father died and we sold the home, I dug some up and now have them here.

Casey said, "This article is about appreciating many different weeds. What if many weeds that fill our yards and fields are really excellent food items or cures for cancer or other maladies?