What does that make plants that are known as weeds that you DO like?
But, look at it. It's a very pretty flower. Yellow. Happy. And the stems, when cooked, eaten in salad or used as tea, are supposed to be very good for you.
When we were kids, we insulted this lovely member of God's creation even more by calling this perky little flower a "Piss-In-Bed" - from the modern French name for the plant "pissenlit".
I suppose that's because the root and leaf tea act on the kidneys as a gentle diuretic, improving the way they cleanse the blood and recycle nutrients. Being kids, however, we would squeal if any one of us plucked a dandelion from the lawn, "OoooOOOooo, Mary's going to pee her bed tonight!"
A "weed" is not a weed when growing where it belongs or is wanted. When it's not, it's just a plant that is, in its present place, a nuisance.
I like the little flowers that appear at the beginning of this post. I'm not sure of their name. And yes, they can be a nuisance, but I try to keep them contained in the back yard by the lawn set.
If you look carefully, you can see them just beyond the planter in the middle of the picture on the left.
I think they add a nice counterpoint to the very 'civilized' pansies that are in the flower pots on the deck.
I've also planted pansies on the front porch, in one of my favorite planters - the one our granddaughter calls the 'dancing ladies' planter - but I really like the flowers that are wild, too.
Wild. Not potted. Not watered. Not tended to or fussed over.
And, certainly not purchased at a Garden Center.
They are free. As free as they grow. And grow. And grow.
Isn't that ironic? The plants I paid for have to be tended and fed and watered in order for them to grow and be beautiful, while the plants that grow free and without effort actually have to be contained.
Some would say that's a nuisance.
I think that's a pretty strong parable about weeds.
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