Meadow Buttercup and Ajuga: an alternative ground cover
If my backyard is a meadow of wild flowers each spring, it is because I mow around the wild buttercups and ajuga that pop up and bloom.
At first there were just a few plants in my back yard but, because I let them go to seed, more appear every spring.
Now my back yard is a wild flower meadow, the yellow of the buttercups in contrast to the deep blue of the ajuga.
As Pat says in her comment, there is a strong prejudice against weeds, that they don’t belong in our yards, especially if they are — like meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris) and ajuga (Ajuga reptans) — non-native invasive alien species from another continent.
Of course, gardeners not only act like border guards and immigration authorities, we play God as well. Because gardening involves decisions as to what will grow and where, because it involves decisions as to what gets pruned, gardeners easily imagine we know something about omnipotence, justice, and mercy.
Click here to see my Photo Prayer of May 15, 2013.
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COMMENTS
On May 15, 2013, at 10:51 am, Pat wrote:
Just what I need to brighten my day. I have always wondered why we call them “weeds” when God plants them and “flowers” when we plant them.