The Medieval Garden Enclosed

Since we have received appreciations from so many thistle lovers, I thought I would finish out the series with the carline thistles, the last thistles in our medieval plant collection to bloom. Unlike other thistles, their flowers have a daisy form consisting of a disk with rayed petals. They are dry flowers of the “ever-lasting” type, sometimes described as straw flowers. The carline thistles are plants of poor, dry soils. The U.S.D.A. lists the common carline thistle, Carlina vulgaris, as an invasive weed reported in New York and New Jersey, but no other state, although I have never observed them in either. Has anyone seen it in their locale? (The U.S.D.A. site notes that it is not necessarily the case that a plant is established only in the states indicated by shading on their map. It may well grow elsewhere, but its presence has not been reported to the U.S.D.A.)

The perennial stemless species, Carlina acaulis, native to Europe, strongly resembles the closely related Eurasian biennial Carlina vulgaris, except that the rosette of spiny leaves lies close to the ground, while the common carline thistle has a short stem. The leaves of C. acaulis are also longer than those of C. vulgaris. Read more »

Left: Anagallis arvensis, a weed that produces an advanced root system to ensure its survival; right: Datura stramonium, a vigorous weed that relies primarily on seed for reproduction.

A weed is defined in the most simple manner??as a plant growing in an area where it is unwanted. This could apply to a garden, a farm, or any possible landscape where a plant may appear. Plants may be considered unwanted based on ornamental value or??their competitiveness with desired plants. Plants within the same community often compete for water, nutrients, and physical space. Unfortunately,??it is the weed that most often wins, followed by a??reduction in??crop yields and garden aesthetics. It is in these situations, that weed control is most often practiced. Read more »