Gardening Book Friend

Royer, France, & Dickinson, Richard. (1999). Weeds of the Northern U.S. and Canada. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Lone Pine Publishing.

This is one of my all time personal favorite Gardening References. It is described as appropriate for Gardeners, Farmers, Turf Managers, Foresters, Weed Control Specialists, Botanists, Students, and anyone interest in North American Plants. While every Gardener would not necessarily need a copy, every Public Library which Gardeners frequent should find a place for this invaluable reference on their Shelves.

The size and durable cover beg that this little Gem goes right to the Field. The text includes excellent descriptions and pictures for identification of Seeds, Seedlings, Leaves, Flowers, Plants, Fruit. You know what you have right there at your Hand.

My favorite part is the Seed section, where Royer and Dickinson often give the numbers of Seeds and their Viability possible for every plant. Be prepared to be jolted from the complacency of your Gardening Seat. I have noted that some Plant Species have been known to have anywhere from 25,000 to 1,000,000 Seeds per Plant. Yes, you read that correctly. So what if I forget to Weed and let them go to Seed? The Seed Viability in the Soil for some Plants can extend to 100 years.

Be prepared to be super charged into action. We 3 C's are on a mission to eliminate Weeds quicker from every part of our yard. As Folks who focus on Organic Solutions, that means pulling and hoeing, and the sooner the better.

A side benefit of reading this wonderful Text has been that I have come to recognize that Weeds come with a Purpose and perhaps even multiple Purposes. I am eager to learn those Purposes. In our fast paced Human-centered lives, we have much to learn about the World around us.