Rudbeckia anyone? And the taller ones are volunteer birch trees, monsters with foot-long taproots from hell. They're all over my yard. I spent most of yesterday digging out dozens of them again. They laugh at roundup.

Round two on removing larkspur this year. I've already done it once. The second (or 3rd) year of trying to banish it from my yard.

Yvonne's salvia starting to pop.

I did apply Preen a few weeks ago, but it doesn't put a dent in my volunteers. I hate using chemicals, I'd rather keep it all organic, but I'm about to give up and pour concrete on the whole yard.

Karen

I was thrilled to discover lots of little lupines out in the Xeric garden the other day, where I had scattered the seeds from the lupine pods last fall. It worked!

I know what you mean about tree seedlings whose roots grow right down to H***. I (attempt to) dig up black walnut seedlings that the squirrels plant every year. The tops of the darned tree seedlings don't emerge until the root has already grown about a foot deep. And, like dandelions, you have to get the entire root or the whole thing will grow back.

And don't let me get started on the millions of maple seedlings from the tree that we can't afford to get cut down... At least maple seedlings are easier to pull up.

I'm happy to see a few allysum volunteers in my front yard now. Usually they come up in fall and die out in winter. I guess the cold weather came early enough and suddenly enough last fall that they didn't get a chance to pop up.

Karen

The trees are bad, too. We have a row of Chinese elm and reseeding has never been much of an issue with them till we put in a bigger vegetable garden out back, about 20 feet from the elm. Well, with all that bare soil I've now got a couple dozen seedlings, and these things grow fast. By second year they can reach six feet so one of today's projects is getting them out before they really take off.

Caryl

Karen

I have the same problem this year with Perilla.. my whole side yard is a pretty purple.. but not so pretty when ya realize they also reseeded themselves in the veggie beds.

But my New england Asters have to be the WORST. Very difficult to dig up if you don't notice the reseeding right away. I do love the plants in the fall (purple flowers in Sept/and Oct.) but the groupings just grow and grow.

My mulch disappears fast. My soil has a lot of organic matter (20+ years of applying compost). The soil just consumes the mulch.

Karen