Harmony in the Garden Blog

Wordless Wednesday – Beautiful Weeds

Due to the unusual amount of heavy rainfall this year, we have an abundance of weeds here in Northern California – here’s some of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen!  Really?  They’re weeds?

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14 Comments

  • Susan- the peachy colored weed is Anagallis arvensis, otherwise known as scarlet pimpernel. I have certain sections of my yard that it seems to really love- and it drives me nuts!

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  • Ah colorful and beautiful weeds. Wish you could have them in the landscape like the “real” plants. It’s just that they’re so wild, most times out of control and at times dangerous to other plant life and animals. At least we can admire their beauty even if only for a while.

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  • I just landed here after reading your article for Lawn Reform Coalition on meadows. And I love the flowers here. Red clover is a great nitrogen fixer and a huge benefit to meadows. It’s a great cover crop to keep weeds down and add fertility to soil that is destined for future garden development.

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  • I know vetch was planted here to keep erosion down in fields, but it’s all over. I knew a couple of the others, but not the first. It’s lovely pretty. Looks a lot like Oklahoma in the spring. I didn’t realize you don’t get that many weeds normally, but it makes sense.~~Dee

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    • Isn’t it, Janine? It would make the prettiest shade of lipstick, right?

      Reply
  • I think we have all of the same ‘weeds’, although I don’t quite recognize the grass. Crimson clover is beautiful, and the bees are dotty for it, but it spreads like a wildfire. The purple hairy vetch and I are at odds at the moment as the seeds are toxic to poultry. I can’t tell for sure, but the whitish flowers, are those California Cardamine (aka milk maids)? I’m so overrun with weeds here, that if it’s native, I call it a ‘wildflower’ so I don’t have to pull it 😉

    Reply
    • Hi Curbstone! Thank you for ID’ing the weeds for me – I really didn’t know what they were (OR that the seeds were toxic to your sweet chickens!). And I love your attitude – let’s just say they’re wildflowers and call it a day!!

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  • Susan, I think someone told me the peachy ones are scarlet pimpernel, but honestly I have no clue. I need to brush up on my weed ID. They didn’t teach me that in hort school! Rebecca, these are lovely photos.

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