Early Weeds, Part 2
When is a weed a weed and when is it a wildflower? I guess, like beauty, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Beware, nonetheless, before you encourage the aggressive little beauties...you may rue the day as I have done in my USDA zone 7 garden.
Pretty Thugs
Common Fleabane
Oh do I regret the day, years and years ago, that I let this pretty thug remain in my garden, thinking it a lovely wild flower. Ha!
Erigeron philadelphicus, the common fleabane is a member of the huge aster (sunflower) family, Asteraceae (formerly Compositae). This immense family of flowering plants (the largest in the temperate world) contains over fifteen thousand species worldwide, including lettuce, chrysanthemums, zinnias, thistles and cockleburs. And, of course asters, those harbingers of fall who brighten the end of our gardening season.
Fleabane, the common name this genus comes from a peculiar aromatic odor that keeps fleas away. I can't say that I've noticed much odor of any kind on this species. E. philadelphicus and another common weedy species, E. canadensis are supposedly valued medicinally for their oil, which is a strong irritant
Many erigerons are quite ornamental and prized garden plants. But this one, while a pretty thing, is one you really don't want in your garden.
The flowers open a most delicate pink and fade to white as they age. This will account for the fact that many photographs of this plant on the web show it with white flowers.
Native to North America, it has the smallest flowers of the genus. Rosettes of oval, pale green leaves of very tender texture (who break away at the soil line when you try to pull them) overwinter so that in early spring the sturdy and rather hairy stems can shoot up to eighteen or thirty inches (0.45 - 0.76 m)
The delicate beauty of the buds belies the aggressive nature of this plant. Each petal forms a seed; the petals turning into dirty white fluff that sails away on a breeze to land and germinate. Not only does it spread by seed, but every tiny bit of their tough, tan stringy roots will grow a new plant. I have spent quite a bit of time researching this plant to verify the identification and not once did I see mention of this fact. Once you let this thug into your garden, you will spend years trying to eradicate it, believe me. This species is rated hardy from USDA zones 3-8.
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