I came across a sea of those yellow wild flowers in the hills below Arbor Crest Winery yesterday. I'm not sure what they are called but they are probably some kind of daisy. They really are beautful but most people would consider them a weed. I'd actually like to have some in my yard.

In gardening I've found that you need to make some decisions about "weeds". Some would define a weed as anything that is out of place. If you have a lawn, anything other than the blades of grass are usually considered a weed. If you have a vegetable garden anything other than your veggies is usually considered a weed, especially those blades of grass that are not weeds in the lawn area. I think it's helpful to not be too legalistic in the garden when it comes to defining things as weeds. I've got a traveling band of dill, cilantro, purple coneflower, rudbeckia, borage, chervil, mint, etc, that wend their way around our garden like migratory birds. I say let them wander and instead of seeing them as weeds, welcome them as surprise gifts. Nature is not intended to be a mono-culture which is why it takes so much work or chemicals to keep things in line.

Instead of treating the garden as something to be conquered, I say think of it as more of an ongoing dialogue in which your yard tells you where it likes things, as much as you tell it where you like things. Eat the dandelions don't spray them. Let your favorite flowers spread like a purple coneflower flu. Fire your mono-culture loving lawn service and hire a polyculture loving veggie gardening service. But feel free to curse the dreaded red clover and morning glory. You need some enemies in the garden to keep it interesting.

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