Welcome to Wildflower Notes & News by L.J. Brandt

We have plants we love in our garden, that we and others have planted lovingly with pride and care in the expectation of a sweet harvest. There may also be plants we do not want in our garden, sharing our soil and the nurturing aspects of the space. When we recognize a weed such as the Mile-A-Minute vine or the Asiatic bittersweet which may climb trees, strangle the trunk, block sunlight, and eventually kill the tree, we take measures to eradicate that from our garden or yard.

The flowers from my mother's funeral were long gone, and the plants that our family had been given months ago sat on the colorful carpet in the bay window of our farmhouse. While cleaning the house, I looked over the back of the antique couch one day and noticed that one of the plants had fallen over. The dirt was all over the carpet, and the plant itself looked dead and brown--lifeless. I left it there and continued with my other housework thinking I would get back to it later. I thought I was alone in the huge farmhouse.