Weeds are flowers too,

Weeds are flowers too once you get to know them. A. A. Milne

“And in the evening, everywhere

  Along the roadside, up and down,

I see the golden torches flare

  Like lighted street-lamps in the town.”

        Frank Demster Sherman—Golden-Rod.

When it shows up, one day by midsummer, amidst my flowers, everyone around me nods their head and urges me to uproot it before it takes over the entire garden. Names like, invasive all-encompassing, allergenic, and many more are being thrown in the air. But I who have a warm spot in my heart for flowers and plants, that come uninvited and transplant themselves into my garden, smile at it feeling that I was chosen. 

My Goldenrod (Solidago Canadensis), lodges itself in the center of the front garden, between the Daylilies and the Peonies and within days it is towering over them, sending green branches crowned with yellow burnished flowers.

I know from reading that it is unfairly blamed for causing hay fever. I also know that it is the Ragweed ((Ambrosia sp), that needs to be blamed. It is blooming at the same time, and its pollen spread by the wind is the cause of many allergy problems.

The Goldenrod, on the other hand, has many positive qualities and a documented history to prove them. Here are just a few;

Goldenrods are attractive sources of nectar for bees; the honey produced is dark and strong.

 Goldenrods are held in some places as a sign of good luck and fortune, and while considered weeds in North America they are used as garden plants in Europe.

Inventor Thomas Edison experimented with goldenrods to produce rubber; he created a fertilization and cultivation process to maximize the rubber content in each plant. In fact the tires on the Model T given to him by his friend Henry Ford were made from Goldenrod; an extensive process was conducted during World War II to commercialize goldenrod as a source of rubber.

Goldenrod is used traditionally to counter kidney inflammation caused by bacterial infections or kidney stones. Native Americas chewed the leaves to relieve sore throats and on the roots to relieve toothaches.

Knowing all the fine attributes of this plant, I feel that this newcomer deserves the spot it chose to occupy, and no bad words will convince me to rip it out and bring the risk of bad luck on my head. And so we reach an agreement; I will protect his right to grow in peace every summer in this chosen spot in the garden, and he in return will respect the space of the other plants in the garden.

 No more than few days into our gentlemanly agreement I can spot young shoots growing all over the garden, and recognize that this was a one-sided agreement. No one in his right mind will talk to a plant. Still I am not troubled, with persistence, I am sure we will be able to maintain  harmonious relationship that I look forward to,  and I will be rewarded every summer with the golden heads of flowers sprinkled all over my garden.

*Information and plants name from Wikipedia.