This annual weed, which is sort of pretty for a weed, is native across Eurasia. It was first found in America near the Great Lakes in the...Read More 1840's and since has spread through the whole continent. Back in Eurasia it probably is a good source of seed for birds, especially waterfowl, as the similar Pennsylvanian Smartweed that is native to North America is a good source of seed for birds, especially waterfowl, to feed on here. Otherwise, this is a very abundant weed that I pull out of the ground all the time in my gardens. It does not really cause a rash on my bare hands, but some people may experience that. It gets its name from a dark spot in the middle of the leaf that looks like a lady may have squeezed the leaf with her thumb. The leaves round out a little in the middle. It has a sheath at the base of the leaf that is fringed.
Spotted Lady's Thumb is not native to the U.S. and has become invasive, so it's a negative in my book.
Don't confuse Polyg...Read Moreonum persicaria with the native Polygonum pensylvanicum. You can tell them apart from their ocreas. The ocrea is a thin membranous sheath that encircles the stem at the base of each leaf petiole. The ocreas of P. persicaria have small (2mm) stiff hairs arising from the top. The ocreas of the native P. pensylvanicum do not.
I posted a close up photo of Spotted Lady's Thumb where you can see the very small stiff hairs poking out of the ocreas.
I don't grow it in my garden; but it's available along the road. I love the flowers and dry them and use them in my papermaking as incl...Read Moreusions. It's also a good addition to salads.
I would have rated this a strong negative -- it's a noxious weed that reseeds like it's going out of style and is nearly impossible to er...Read Moreadicate. *But*, last year I found a great use for it, which pushes it up to "neutral": it's a perfect distraction crop for Japanese Beetles. It doesn't seem to draw them to the garden (I didn't have any beetles for years even with the smartweed hanging about), but when they're there, as they were last year, they ate nothing but smartweed. In fact, they're the only insect I've found willing to eat the stuff. They pretty much skeletonize it and leave the rest of the garden alone.
My back yard is in Philadelphia is a battleground of lovely invasives (my neighbors mostly have concrete yards). My groundcover is a mix...Read Moreture of persicaria maculosa threaded through violets with a few punctuations of spiderwort, pokeweed, persicaria odorata and morning glory up the fences. It's quite lovely and virtually maintenance free. Since they're all invasive, I don't really have to weed or water except in the Spring when other invasives come up. I do have to take a machete to the morning glory now and then, but I'm quite thrilled with the results. Birds and squirrels LOVE my yard. I make a couple of wood-mulch paths through the green, set up a chair, and enjoy!
Brookeville, MD (Zone 7a) | September 2005 | negative
I know this as pinkweed.
I hate it, it grows everywhere, gets into everything and is just a pest. It especially likes dist...Read Moreurbed soil so that if you weed or make new beds, you'll be sure to find it there.
An invasive little weed that spreads rapidly in damp areas. It's cheerful and cute, but even the smallest piece of a stem is capable of p...Read Moreroducing a new plant. When removing it from an area, care must be taken to get every shred of the stuff....even then it will take several seasons to rid it completely from a planting space. It produces a vast number of seeds that can lay dormant for great lengths of time and still remain viable.
The name Smartweed comes from the sap that sometimes causes ittitation when it comes in contact with the skin.
The seeds are attractive to songbirds and wildlife, but there are many plants that are less invasive that can serve that purpose....and this stuff is never going to be put on any endangered list.
This annual weed, which is sort of pretty for a weed, is native across Eurasia. It was first found in America near the Great Lakes in the...Read More
Spotted Lady's Thumb is not native to the U.S. and has become invasive, so it's a negative in my book.
Don't confuse Polyg...Read More
I don't grow it in my garden; but it's available along the road. I love the flowers and dry them and use them in my papermaking as incl...Read More
I would have rated this a strong negative -- it's a noxious weed that reseeds like it's going out of style and is nearly impossible to er...Read More
My back yard is in Philadelphia is a battleground of lovely invasives (my neighbors mostly have concrete yards). My groundcover is a mix...Read More
Hard to get rid of!
I know this as pinkweed.
I hate it, it grows everywhere, gets into everything and is just a pest. It especially likes dist...Read More
An invasive little weed that spreads rapidly in damp areas. It's cheerful and cute, but even the smallest piece of a stem is capable of p...Read More