Beginner Gardening: What are your worst weeds?, 1 by Weezingreens

Weezingreens wrote:
Here in Alaska, I battle several types of weeds that are native to our area, but many were 'imported'. I was surprised to see that Poppysue battles horsetail, too! If you've ever tried to dig it up, the roots are interconnected and grow very deep. The stems are jointed, so it pops off at ground level and spreads.. a real menace!

Plantain grows all over in my yard, but, as my old mother used to say, "If you mow anything long enough, it becomes lawn." An interesting note is that all these weeds seem to grow seeds on shorter stems in the yard where we mow!

In the flower beds, our most common weed is 'Chickweed'. If left to its own devices, it will choke out other plants, and it reseeds all summer.

When clearing new ground, one of our real monsters is 'Devil's Club. It grows to seven feet or more when established, and it grows suckers from a root system that must start in Canada. If you cut it back, it throws more limbs from the stump. It has barbs running up the stem, and under the leaf spines, as well. If you touch the Devil's Club it will leave its barbs under your skin to fester. The bears eat its berries in the fall before going into hybernation. While impressive in the wild, you do not want it in your garden!