Back in the Weeds

Gardening was once an active pursuit of mine, more along the lines of growing plants that I could eat, but I also enjoy decorative ones, too. I didn’t stop because I ran out of things to grow, or weeds to pull, I stopped because my energies and focus shifted to my vegan advocacy.

Two parallel impulses are driving my renewed interest in gardening. First, I’m seeking more of a balance in my life now, to include activities that keep me away from the computer, the TV, and instead provide an opportunity for some fresh air, a little bit of exercise, my favorite color of purple, and who knows, maybe even improve our property values once the weeds stop being as tall as the house.

Three cans of general weeding from this week, plus the 3 from last week, mean another full load for our bi-weekly pickup. Oh, and should I mention this is all from the front yard

Kickass Pampas Grass

Pampas Grass yields tall spears of bamboo-like lances with a feathery tip.  I’d never seen one until we moved to the coast, and I’d never seen one up close until it vigorously sprouted in our front garden.  Once established, it will continue to grow if ignored, spreading out horizontally while it grows taller.  It’s considered to be an invasive plant, since it literally grows like a weed and crowds out native plants.

From afar, it can look quite lovely, but up close, the long leaves have sharp, razor like edges.  Over its lifetime, one plant can produce a million seeds according to wikipedia

Pampas grass reaches 2nd story

This one plant in particular has been growing prolifically in our front garden for the past several years.  It had gotten quite tall,  with spears that were reaching the 2nd floor of our house.

In the below photographs, you can see a work in progress at removing a Pampas Grass plant that had been growing for several years.

The first two weeks involved primarily trimming, to get to the core of the plant.  In the first go-round, I cut the spears about 4-5′ from the ground. I leaned them upright against our house and they were taller than the garage doors. I also re-discovered the greenhouse in our garden!

The second week was spent clearing away all the leafy growth around the base of the Pampas Grass.  This filled three bins with the leaves.

By the third week, I had reached the core of the plant and utilized the special new, narrow shovel purchased specifically for the task of digging up the Pampas Grass by its roots.  After much shoving, panting, and mental ranting on my part, I knew I’d dig out the roots of this monstrous weed.

Moral of the story:  Pampas Grass is best removed when small.  That is, unless you’re looking for an opportunity to make 8 barrels of greenwaste from 3 successive Saturday mornings.