I just saw this Red Admiral taking a drink from our Japanese Lilac. Nice to know I haven’t wrecked everything garden-wise after desecrating my front yard with random passes at a prolific weed a week ago with the herbicide Roundup. I wish I’d just burned an emoji into the lawn then it would have looked like I had done it on purpose.
I was painting our church’s parlor last week when I confessed to our chair of the Facilities Committee that the brown grass was not winter kill but the herbicide roundup. I’d joked at first that it was because of nematodes. I’d gotten that excuse from a homeowner up in Duluth Heights who told me back in 1976 that his brown lawn was the result of the nasty little worms. I was going door to door for a campaign to unseat Rep. Mike Jaros. On Sunday I was rewarded for my honesty when my friend called out that I’d be happy to help other’s do the same after our church service was over. I shook my head violently and told everyone that it was nematodes.
It turned out that Claudia only suggested using it to keep weeds from growing on our brick patio. The instructions had been very specific telling me that any plant that it got sprayed on would be toast. Guess I should have taken their word for it. Now I’m trying to plant new grass seeds on the wreckage without digging it up first. Fool’s errand no doubt.
Belatedly I decided to try to identify just what that pesky little broadleaf is that sprouts everywhere. It turns out to be an invasive called Creeping Bellfower.
I’d never made the connection between the low lying green leaves in the grass and the tall flowers that can rise up to overtop my spirea bushes. After reading a handful of testimonials I can sympathize with all the others who have attempted to eradicate the pretty little flowers. Die, Die, Die.
