Weed or Flower?

Spent yesterday morning in town, waiting to see the doctor. When I got home, I walked around the yard, mostly to note what garden work had to be done (a lot). As I walked I noticed a few things blooming:
Like this one--is it a groundcover or a weed? It's so pretty the way it edges between my herb garden's stone wall and the sidewalk. Gill-Over-the-Ground is it's name, and it certainly is all over the ground. It has other names too--ground ivy, Creeping Charlie, and my mother jokingly called it Johnny-run-through-the hedges. This little plant literally takes over my flowerbeds. Mulching helps only in that it's easier to pull the vines out. Did I pull this one out? Uh--no. It's just too pretty right where it is. I'll be sorry for my softheartedness later when it invades the herb garden. I'm not the only one with ambivalent feelings about this plant.

Apparently it was brought to America by early settlers and was grown as a medicinal herb. It was grown in containers and it would trail prettily over the edges. I've used it that way myself, actually.

Then this lovely pale-blue violet. These are called dog violets, but that seems an ugly name for a pretty plant. Later in the spring I usually have some white stemmed violets in the lawn, if Larry lets it get a litte high before mowing. Violet leaves make an excellent addtion to spring salads.

Purple Archangel (I prefer this to the more official name Purple Deadnettle) shows up in my flower and vegetable gardens every year. According to some websites, it has medicinal properties and is edible. I've not tried it myself, but I often pick it to use in flower arrangements because it can be really pretty.


Another violet, this one is cosying up to Purple Coneflower seedlings. One reason I hold off on mulching in the spring is the free plants I get from natural seedings. These usually include coneflower, lamb's ears, bergamot, marigolds, cleome, dill, caraway, and others. The downside is that weeds get a firmer foothold, but I think the free plants are worth it.

And of course, the dandelion (or dent de lion, tooth of the lion). There is a lovely story that explains why the dandelion is all over our lawns. Dandelions make a good wine, I'm told, although it takes gallons of flowers to do the job. Charles Hodgson gives a lot of interesting information on the background of the dandelion on his website. I like the new leaves in spring salad.

So--weeds or flowers? Friends or foe? Although I may yank them from my gardens, I'll keep these little flowers on my list of friends.