Outdoor time in the spring often involves working in my garden. The front yard consists of raised beds (and eventually terraces) for veggies, an herb garden, the blueberry chapel (a PVC structure holding up bird netting over berry bushes), and 3 fruit trees. Once the raised beds are planted with my first crop of the season, I turn to weeding, but then it's often too late. I've found that the most common weed with which I'm contending is commonly known as Shotweed and I've only recently learned very much about it. It is easy to ignore (to one's peril).
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Follow me below the pretty rosette for an eye-popping description of this little weed that grows here on the NE corner of the Olympic Peninsula of WA.
Shotweed (Cardamine oligosperma) rosette
Cardamine oligosperma is a cute little early spring plant. It is also known as Little western bittercress, Wild cress, and Pop-in-the-eye weed. It starts out as a pretty little rosette that seems fairly innocuous. Next, comes its pretty little white flowers that seem welcome in early spring. It is edible with a peppery taste. It likes cool weather and flowers even during our mild winters.
However, once it goes to seed, it turns into the menace that inspires that final common name above. When the seed pods ripen, any disturbance - a gust of wind or a weeder's slightest touch - sends the seeds shooting off in all directions, including into your eye. It is very very good at distributing its seeds! It will go through multiple generations in one summer.
Pop-in-the-eye seed pods
While the plants are easy to pull, they have a tendency to reroot themselves if left uprooted on top of the soil. So just cultivating isn't effective. And my garden beds are full of half-dollar sized rosettes that must be individually removed or risk the fireworks display of seeds. It is so tempting to overlook a tiny and pretty little weed until it takes over.
I wish the banana slugs ate it, but they don't appear interested.
Your turn! What is your gardening nemesis? What else are you seeing in your backyard?
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