Tag Archives: weeds

A Problem with Vines

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

I have always loved vines. To me they mean grapes (and therefore wine 🙂 ), beautiful ivy covering old brick buildings, passion fruit or some beautiful flower like wisteria. Or that’s what they used to mean. Now they mean pests, … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Nature | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Patterson’s Curse

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Laura Rittenhouse

Until recently I knew 2 things about Patterson’s Curse (Echium plantagineum): 1) It is a noxious, introduced weed that is overrunning the grazing lands of Australia and is poisonous to some livestock. 2) It produces beautiful, small, purple flowers in … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, Garden, Nature | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Good Weeds

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

I’ve heard of “good cholesterol” and I almost get that concept, but I never thought I’d believe in good weeds. For the duration of my gardening life, weeds have fallen into 3 categories: Hateful things that I battle to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens, Garden, Nature | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Pros and Cons of Mulching

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Laura Rittenhouse

I am not a natural mulcher. I think it looks nice when first applied but quickly looks old and ratty and always seemed to me a waste of time and money. Then I started losing a lot of plants, particularly … Continue reading →

Posted in Garden, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Weeding day

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Laura Rittenhouse

This creepy spider (Ithink it’s a huntsman, maybe a wolf?) seems to have made a home in some of the new growth on the orange tree that Frank hacked and then the aphids infested. I thought he was a cute … Continue reading →

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Nasturtiums

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Laura Rittenhouse

These nasturtiums found their way into my back yard. I thought I’d killed the poor things when I rather ruthlessly yanked wandering jew from around them and pulled up some of the seedlings, but now they thrive. They’re in full … Continue reading →

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