Part 2 Ugly Names, Good Plants: Weeds

Clockwise from top left:  Butterfly Weed, Bugleweed, Sneezeweed (photo credit:  Photo by Sue Trull, Ottawa National Forest), Joe Pye Weed

As my series continues on plant names, this post concerns ones with “weed” in the name.  I speak for all gardeners that we want to avoid weeds.  However, there are four that I think you might want to allow into the garden bed.   According to Webster’s dictionary a weed is defined as: 
A plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.
 So here are some that are suitable for your garden that I recommend. 

Milkweed (Asclepias)
There are many types of Milkweed and all are beneficial because they attract pollinators and are the exclusive host plants for the Monarch Butterfly meaning that the larva need them to feed.   It is named for it latex which is a milky substance that oozes from its stems when damaged.  You may be familiar with milkweed pods that create a silk.  Consider planting the Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa ) in your garden rather than the Common Milkweed.  It is well behaved and has an attractive orange flower. 
Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
This one lives up to its name as a weed because it is considered a ground cover that can spread and fill in an area.  It has a small blue flower in May to June, grows in sun to part shade and is deer and rabbit resistant.  It spreads by creeping to form an attractive mat.  I mow mine along with the grass to keep it tidy after it blooms in an area that I’m not concerned about its growth habit.  Avoid planting where it spreading habit might be a problem. 
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)
According to Wikipedia there actually was a guy name Joe Pye.  He was an Indian healer from New England who took this Christian name.   According to folklore this North American native plant was used to cure fevers and treat kidney stones.  I suggest you stick to using it as a back-of-the-border plant that provides good late summer and fall flowers that attract pollinators.  I’ve taken many a picture of hummingbirds and butterflies on this plant.  It grows tall, up to 12 feet and even the junior sized ones are 3-4 feet tall.  It can tolerate wet conditions and makes a good shoreline plant.  It can grow into thick clumps and can be divided to create more plants for you and your friends.  I leave mine standing all winter and mulched in the spring right back into the garden.  
 Sneezeweed  (Helenium autumnale)  Its name comes from the former use of its dried leaves in making snuff and does not usually present any problems for most allergy sufferers.  Unless, of course, you inhale the snuff which causes sneezing that supposedly rids the body of evil spirits.  This is a late summer bloomer and likes part sun and wet to medium-wet soils.  The Common Sneezeweed is a North American native, is a pollinator-friendly plant.  Its daisy-like flowers come in a variety of color in new cultivar introductions.  I am trying it for the first time in my garden to replace plants that don’t like the new sunnier conditions caused by the loss of a few shade trees.