Freezing weather in the Puget Lowlands does not typically last long enough to stop the growth of numerous forb species, both native and non-native. Earlier identification enables easier removal of undesirable forbs, and selective hand weeding in winter saves time in the spring when we would rather be planting. However, the key to early removal is accurate identification, and that can be difficult for plants just emerging from the ground.
I don’t think there are quick ways to learn how to identify the various forbs before they flower. For me, it continues to be a learning process of looking closely at individual plants at different stages of growth. Ideally, when I come to an emerging forb I don’t recognize, I mark it in some unobtrusive way and see what it turns into.
The Foes
All of the foes (weeds) shown below are non-native plants that have naturalized in our region. Some are more invasive than others. In the language of the Bradley Method, most of the foes spread from unmaintained bad areas into adjacent good areas. If there are weed breaks separating the bad areas from the good areas, then most of the selective hand weeding consists of maintaining the weed breaks.
For Shotweed (Cardamine hirsute), I recommend Sara Gage’s botanical ramble, “Shoot, it’s Shotweed.”As many of you know all too well, controlling Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) requires teeth-gritting perseverance.Cat’s Ear (Hypochaeris radicata) “has naturalized on every continent except Antarctica.”English Daisy (Bellis perennis) often spreads from input-free turf.The new leaves of Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) are smooth, unlike the similarly-shaped leaves of the native White-flowered Hawkweed (Hieracium albiflorum) that are fuzzy.Emerging Wall Lettuce (Mycelis muralis) can be hard to distinguish from Nipplewort.The Wall Lettuce is a weed that is hard to pull when it is small because of its long taproots. It can be better to wait on this weed until it sends up a flower stalkRed Dead-Nettle (Lamium purpureum) can be hard to distinguish from some native hedgenettles, but context is important, and in this case the Red Dead-Nettle is emerging before some still-dormant hedgenettles growing nearby.The non-native Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris var. vulgaris) is difficult to distinguish from the native variant (Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata). See dichotomous key here. I’m fairly sure this one is the non-native, because I’ve never found possible native Self Heals nearby.It might send the wrong message if I leave out Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum), since along with Creeping Buttercup it is one of our worst forb foes.
The Friends
Since the object of selective hand weeding is to remove the foes without harming the friends (in my case, native plants), identifying the friends is just as important as identifying the foes. What photos like the ones below don’t show is context, the species that are most likely to occur in particular places at particular times. This knowledge also grows over time with familiarity of your own backyard forest and adjacent gardens and is integral to plant identification.
Distinctive leaf shape helps identify the native Claytonia sibirica, commonly known as “Candy Flower,” “Siberian Miner’s Lettuce,” or my preference — “Western Spring Beauty.”In its rosette stage, the native Large-Leaved Avens (Geum macrophyllum) can be difficult to distinguish from Creeping Buttercup.Foam Flower (Tiarella trifoliata) at this stage can also be mistaken for Creeping Buttercup.In the rosette stage, White-flowered Hawkweed can be confused with the non-native Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) or Wall Lettuce (Mycelis muralis).Newly emergent Western Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza occidentalis) can be mistaken for Herb Robert, but unlike the Herb Robert it has a prominent taproot that enables easy replanting if pulled by mistake.In this picture, Cleavers (Gallium aparine) is emerging below Red Dead Nettle. I mostly tolerate Cleavers but remove it from higher quality beds of native forbs.In this picture, Fringed Willow Herb (Epilobium ciliatum) is growing near Fragrant Fringecup (Tellima grandiflora). Both can appear weedy by summer, so some folks choose to transplant them out of their better native garden beds to fill gaps elsewhere.
