Weese weeds, December 17th, 2106, Jacksonville Beach

Unlike Connecticut, we don't get much of a respite from weeds. This is a very tough grass that grows on roadsides. The seedheads are wonderful.

Weese weed, Jax Beach

Actually I believe that this is purslane a very nutritious annual succulent. But it is as tough as can be and loves sidewalks. It contains more Omega-3s than any other leafy vegetable. More commonly used as food in Europe.

No trespassing, Jax Beach

This lot had a building on it that I photographed a lot. It had an odd A-frame in the middle and fish and crabs painted on the outside walls. It was razed about a year ago and has lain fallow since. It lies across the street from a Publix Supermarket and right on a large road, Beach Boulevard. It is covered with weeds and litter. My question is what harm would a trespasser do to it?

Dog fennel, garden, Roscoe

This is a plant that I transplanted from a roadside. It is an incredibly vigorous grower and can be found on roadsides and abandoned fields. It is probably the most common large weed in our area. And I love it. It is a native plant so I don't feel bad for nurturing this one. It got it's name because people used it to rub on their dogs to keep fleas and ticks away. It looks like an upright fern or fennel from the Spring to the Fall. Then it develops these tiny flowers and looks wonderful for three weeks, sets seed, disperses seed, and dies back to the ground. The seeds propagate easily but the young plants were easy to pull and discard. This plant is ten years old and stronger than ever.

Twenty two minutes

Pictured above is a low, climbing, shallow rooted, invasive nightmare on my plot of land. It is, as you can see, very delicate and nicely shaped. The leaves are a lovely Spring green and textured smoothly. They also grow about three inches a day, in all directions, including up if they can find support. Last year, when we went away for 6 weeks, they ran rampant over my back garden. I pulled a few but they came right back. They are in every bed and spreading.

This year I decided that the only way to get them out was to weed one bed at a time and be really thorough in pulling them. I did two smaller beds before tackling my Asian bed. I call it the Asian bed because there is a Bottlebrush tree, I believe from China, a Japanese maple, a Loquat, originally from China but cultivated in Japan and a Ginkgo, from China. In the bed there is a sunken pot of ginger root that I planted years ago. Ginger is at the heart of almost all Asian cooking, so it is included.

Yesterday I set out to clear it. I decided to see how long it would take. This weed, which I cannot match in weed references, has one good quality, it pulls out very easily and you get almost all of it first pull. It took me 22 minutes from getting on hands and knees and starting to weed to the end of the job. Very satisfying. The two posts below are a before and after of the job. If anyone knows the name of this weed, common or official, please comment.

The Asian bed, before weeding.

The Asian bed, post weeding.

Weese weeds.....foiled, Jax Beach

Weese weeds, Jax Beach

We love our cabbage palms here in Florida (they are the state tree). They are incredibly tough and they throw off a huge seed load every year. As you can see here, they don't need much incentive to start.

Straw wrapper scorpion and weed, Jax Beach

Weese weeds, Jax Beach

 Northwestern Connecticut is not the only place where the weeds are having a field day.

Weese weeds, Jax Beach

Early weeds, Jax Beach

The recent warm spell has brought them out everywhere.

Bowling alley, Jax Beach, cracks and weeds.

 These show the perils of building on sand. Our barrier island is almost all sand, with a light layer of soil on top. Sand moves wherever it is, but when it is an island between the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway, it moves more. Therefore our large buildings are always shifting and need to be shored up from time to time. The weeds are very aggressive this year. Probably due to Carl Weese's visit to Florida earlier this year.

Weesemosis....A condition brought on by following Carl's blog, Working Pictures

These are all growing on the site of an abandoned Chevrolet dealership in Jax Beach. It has been a banner year for weeds.

Weed, Jax Beach

This is a hole in a well-travelled sidewalk that got some dirt in it. It is about the size of a quarter (euro). This little sedum was as happy as could be.

Weed, Jax Beach

Dog sorrel, Nocatee.

This particular dog sorrel turns the most lovely shade of red. I shot it last year and this year it is even better.

Stones and weeds, Jax Beach

Napkin and weeds, Jax Beach