Love Your Weeds says Kathy Jentz

My friend Kathy Jentz is a prolific and wonderful garden writer. She’s the editor/publisher of Washington Gardener magazine. When I saw a tweet saying “No-Stress Gardening: Why I Stopped Worrying and Learned To Love the Weeds,” I knew I had to pass it along as I’m a fellow weed lover too.

The sunflower border on Kathy Jentz’ back fence line is dying back as the gardening season comes to a close. Photo by Kathy Jentz

Here’s how her post begins- “You can always tell a new gardener by their anxiety level. They want weed-free beds instantly full of flowers and bountiful tomato plants hanging heavy with blemish-free fruits. Old hands at gardening know that flowers are over-rated, tomatoes may fall to blight, and that gardening is about the experience, not the end-results.” Read the whole post here.

Kathy really struck a chord with me in her recent post. Why is something called a weed? For years I pulled and pulled things that I was told should not be in the garden. Then I found beauty in them, so now they are no longer weeds. These plants are there for a reason and support wildlife. I still remove things I don’t like, but there are lots of so called weeds in my garden, but I don’t care, because I love them.

She has a way of putting the garden into perspective, I think we’re kindred spirits. “Gardening is not about perfection. Bugs eat leaves. Squirrels and birds peck and take bites from fruits and veggies. Your neighbor’s kids come by and grab a handful of flower leaving de-headed stalks. So what? New flowers, leaves, fruits, and veggies will replace those you’ve lost and life goes on.”

Well said Kathy!