When drawing, an eraser is as important as the pencil.
One of the first things I learned while in art school was to consider my eraser as important as drawing tools like pencils or charcoal. I’ve carried this over to the garden and practice reductive edits during Denver’s hot and dry summers. Until potential monsoons arrive in August, local conditions are difficult for establishing new plants. Instead of trying to plant, consider a subtractive approach to landscaping by taking out weeds. A weed is defined as a plant that is not wanted within the landscape we are working. While invasive weeds really should be taken out of our gardens because they have been proven to disrupt local ecologies, the definition of common weeds can be blurry. Sometimes they are plants we love that are more aggressive and threaten to crowd out others. In this case, I like to dig out the offending portions, pot what I’ve taken out and keep them in the shadiest part of my garden in a sort of nursery where I can tend them closely to re-establish the root systems. After the evenings start to cool again, these plants can be used to fill in spaces that offer challenging growing conditions or exchanged with neighbors.
Digging out plants is a great time to amend the soil in small patches. Because Denver was built on an ancient lake bed, the soil here is made up of heavy clay. This means there is high mineral content, but it presents challenging conditions in which to grow. It is hard for water to penetrate the ground to reach deep roots. It is easily compacted which makes it difficult for roots to deeply penetrate. When the ground is saturated, the moisture does not drain away, which can cause the roots to rot. As we are digging out weeds in the summer, adding handfuls of sandy gravel to areas we have dug is a great way to create air pockets through which water may infiltrate to reach the roots of the plants while increase drainage. According to Denver Botanic Garden’s manager of horticulture outreach programs, Annie Barrow, it’s good practice to mix the gravel into the existing soil so that it is about a 50/50 ratio.
There are quite a few plants many folks consider ‘weeds’ that have the potential to add flavor to the dinner table or act as herbal medicines. Urban forager, Kate Armstrong teaches the value of such plants that are normally considered ‘weeds’. After learning edible and medicinal properties of plants that thrive in otherwise neglected areas of the garden, I often leave them space to grow and harvest them when needed. Mallow, for example, produces delicious nuts that have the texture of okra, but on a miniature scale. When this plant is too aggressive in more formal beds, it may be torn out and all parts of the plant may be enjoyed. Stems may be chopped, tossed in olive oil and salt and roasted until crisp to add a nutrient dense punch to top salads. The ruffly round leaves may be used to replace lettuce in making wraps, and the roots are medicinal when brewed as tea. Perspective is everything, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, when prodding around the gardens during the relatively cool summer mornings, I like to practice the wisdom that every plant has a gift and strive for balance in my (slightly wild) urban gardens.
A list of Colorado invasive species is provided by the Colorado Department of Agriculture: https://ag.colorado.gov/conservation/noxious-weeds/species-id
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