Northwest gardens should be in their prime, so make sure to enjoy yours
The most important summertime task to do this week may be to enjoy your garden.
Take a moment to bask in the cool shade of a tree you planted or cared for. Relax in the cooler temperature that a green lawn provides for your outdoor living and take time to smell the roses and lavender that you took the time to care for this past spring.
Summer gardens are meant to be enjoyed — then back to work. Your garden needs weeding, watering and deadheading to keep it producing beauty and bounty until the end of the season.
Q. We have a climbing weed in our garden with white flowers that looks like morning glory. Is this a noxious weed that we are required to get rid of? I have tried pulling it but it keeps coming back. What is the best way to control this pretty vine? — M.N., Enumclaw
A. There are several types of climbing weeds with morning glory-like flowers but the most common is the hedge bindweed also called wild morning glory. The good news is that it is not classified as a noxious weed, but the bad news is that it is obnoxious in the way it climbs up shrubs, fences and chokes out other plants. (If a weed is classified as noxious, you are required to get rid of it before it destroys habitats.)
The reason bindweed is so difficult to get rid of is because it spread from tiny bits of roots, stems and even leaves left near the ground and has seeds that can persist for 50 years in the soil. This is why you may discover a new patch of bindweed after digging a hole to plant a new shrub.
The bindweed does need sunlight, however, so try cutting if off at ground level, then cutting it again and again so that without foliage the roots may starve. A string trimmer or pair of scissors may help to keep the tops of the weed cut to ground level.
Spraying with an herbicide such as RoundUp (tradename Glysophate) works in some situations, especially in early summer when the weed is actively growing. Resorting to herbicides may be the practical remedy if an invasion is smothering other vegetation needed by local birds and wildlife.
Growing healthy perennials that shade the ground can also crowd out this invasive weed and prevent the seeds from sprouting. Thick groundcovers such as ajuga and cranesbill geranium are the most effective for blocking weeds. If the morning glory is established in open ground, use cardboard and a thick layer of wood chips to block light and smother the plant. Be warned that once you remove the cardboard and mulch, morning glory can wake up and take over again.
My sympathies to anyone experiencing the hostile takeover of the innocent-looking morning glory.
Q. Is clover good for the lawn? I heard it adds nitrogen and that farmers plant clover to improve fertility of the soil. Our lawn looks like it is growing a good crop of clover. — R., email, Tacoma
A. Well, rolling in clover has always meant good things, and finding a four-leaf clover is lucky, so in some parts of the world a clover lawn is considered ideal. Here in the USA, the monoculture of an all-grass lawn is often preferred and a few changes in lawn care can help get rid of clover.
First mow high, letting your lawn grow at least 3 inches tall before mowing. Clover needs sunlight and a tall lawn shades out new clover plants.
Second, fertilize your lawn in spring and fall as a thicker lawn crowds out the clover. You can find weed-and-feed products that are formulated to control clover plants, but these only work to prevent seeds from sprouting in the spring so are called pre-emergent lawn weed killers. They do not work to kill already established clover plants.
Farmers do love fields of clover as this crop takes nitrogen from the air and fixes it into the soil to improve fertility. One more clover conclusion: Lawns made of clover will stay green with less water than a traditional lawn and clover is a drought-resistant groundcover that also feeds the bees.
Q. Which is better for the garden, to hoe the weeds while young on a sunny day (my method) or to pull them by hand and remove the roots and all when they are large enough to grasp? My spouse likes to pull, I like to hoe. — W.H., Olympia
A. I think the two of you are the perfect match, as no matter how you weed, it is more important how often you weed. Learning to use a sharp hoe to decapitate young weeds is a lost art that may one day be taught in school (survival skills 101: grow your own food), but hand weeding when the soil is moist and the weeds pull easily can be one of the most satisfying garden chores.
There is an advantage to both — hoeing gets rid of weeds while very small so they don’t steal moisture and nutrients from plants, but pulling removes roots that then leave an instant, open-air channel for irrigation.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her through her website at binettigarden.com or write to her at P.O. Box 872, Enumclaw WA 98022.
This story was originally published July 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.