Home Garden Pond

 

Not been here in a little while, sometimes life just seems to get the better of you, doesn’t it. Husband broke his arm at work, we spent 9 hours yes, 9 hours in the ER (is that a record) because he did it at work there were stacks of wsib forms to be filled in, doctors to see , then more forms to fill and then more doctors and you’ve guessed it more forms.

And its rained every single day this week , new pond has been dug for ten days now, I wouldn’t give in to hubby and just buy new liner right off, had to have my way and see if old one was wide enough, took me a whole week in between showers to capture all the fish from old pond and move all the rocks and plants away, I then needed help to drag liner out in one piece hubby now disabled wasn’t much help and daughters couldn’t help as pond sludge smells “vile” and obviously has some flesh eating capacity that only I am personally immune to, so I had to wait for my son to visit , finally got the forty foot long beast out yesterday only to confirm worst suspicions liner might be long but at its widest point is only 15 ft which is not enough ,short by three feet. Seems unfair having all that liner and not being able to reuse it, but guess it can be used for other things around garden so this morning we had planned to go to home depot for a new liner,

Its still early only 6.30am, I’ve been up an hour already, surfing the net couldn’t sleep, I awoke at 5am with a brainwave (maybe, hopefully) I’ve been scouring the net looking to see if anyone has ever melted two pieces of pond liner together, yes, I am aware of all the products they sell just for that purpose, they all work fairly well when joining new pond liner, but in my experience none of them work well on used dirty algae encrusted liner. There have been several times that I have had to undertake the repair of small holes, like when a visitors dog fell in to my stream and put a toe nail through the liner , or the year a “rat creature” decided it wanted to take up residence behind the liner at water level, so of course the “rat creature” had to eat itself a front door and a back door and a window in the liner .I struggled and struggled with a variety of products before I could get even small patches to adhere, even cleaning the areas with soap and bleach first didn’t help much , and on recent removal of liner found these patches were all about to fall off, only the weight of the water and rocks I guess had been keeping them in place. There’s nothing I’d trust enough for a twenty foot seam I d be a paranoid ponder checking for leaks hourly.

The internet mission was unsuccessful no one apparently has ever even thought of melting pond liner together, a few said that it seemed a sound idea that they thought it would probably work, but none had actually tried it. I couldn’t even find out at what temp epdm might melt at, well I guess I’m going to be a pond pioneer. My iron I am sure won’t get hot enough it struggles with wrinkles in cotton, hubby’s blow torch I think might be two hot, a heat gun or paint stripper might be just right, but we don’t own one, at 9’o’clock as soon as Canadian tire opens we will. It may not work but at the worst we own a new tool.

Oh! one really fantastic thing I have to report is that the building firm has finally shown up and started construction of the long awaited promised fence, but it appears they are only placing it along the back property line , not along the side, not enough room there ,but even so three quarters of my problem will be solved.

I wonder if the owners of the new homes complained about the view seeing as my yard now more resembles a cross between a minefield (with all the holes)a weed patch and a construction site rather than a garden, or perhaps they were worried that my weeds would spread through the chain link and infect their hanky sized perfect new lawns. A solid fence might actually help check the spread of weeds, before there were houses at the back a different crop of seeds blew through the fence each year from the field behind , each year it was different, one year thistles, the next dandelions and one time even golden rod and wild sweet peas.

The fence might save them from the wild flowers but nothing will save them from the Bishops weed , it was here when we moved in 14 years ago I’ve been fighting with it ever since, I had after all those years finally managed to confine it to just one side border, but after two years of unchecked freedom it has emerged again in several places around the garden, Bishops weed AKA Gout weed is to the home garden what my Doom was to the PC world a vicious pest.

I don’t know what ever could of possessed the previous owner of this house to plant not just one kind of Bishops weed but two, I have both, the all green and the variegated kind, I always wondered if he planted the variegated in a bid to challenge the growth of the green, in theory a good idea in practice at least in my garden it didn’t work the green Bishops weed surpasses the variegated by at least 70% If I have to have Bishops weed in my garden which it appears I do I would much rather it was the variegated kind as it is much more attractive plant than the plain green variety.

Aegopdium podagraria /Variegatum known in North America as Bishops weed Gout weed, Snow on the mountain if this wasn’t enough names it has even more in Britain and Europe, Herb Gerard, (After St. Gerard who cured gout with it.) Bishop’s Wort, Bishop’s Elder, Dog Elder, Dwarf Elder, Ground Elder, Goat’s Foot, Goatweed, Farmer’s Plague, Garden Plague, Ground Ash, Pot-Ash, White Ash, Jack Jumpabout, English Masterwort, Wild Masterwort, Pigweed, Eltroot, Cummin Seed, Cummin Royal, Herb William. Bull-Wort. In Britain too it is also an invasive pest. Bishops weed has earned for itself the fame of being the all time most hated plant of the gardening world.

If you already have an infestation of Bishops weed, The most recommended pesticide freeway to control it is to cutback or mow all its leaves once it has leafed out in late spring, and cover its growing area with black plastic , carpet pizza boxes anything that will stay there long enough to prevent photosynthesis. An alien plant website has further information.

There is no easy fix for getting rid of this intolerable, nasty, vicious and aggressive but oh so charming looking garden pest, don’t be fooled if your not plagued by it already don’t buy it, and definitely don’t take it as a gift, nothing, except a lot of patience and time on your knees digging it out will deliver you from this plant monster, bare in mind that Aegopodium prefers to grow in the top 4 inches of soil, so don’t dig too deeply when getting it out. You will undoubtedly miss a few roots, just dig them out too as they re-emerge, and be very persistent! Edging helps, as it allows you to work in smaller spaces without worrying about re-infestation from local areas.

It seems the Bishops weed has been a problem for hundreds of years

“The Herbal” by John Gerard ,who made this comment in 1633:

“…..Herbe Gerard groweth of it selfe in gardens without setting or sowing, and is so fruitful in his increase, that where it once hath taken root, it will be hardly got out againe, spoiling and getting every year more ground, to the annoying of better herbs.”

If avid gardeners for centuries have not been able to keep this troublesome pest at bay, most likely many having been far more knowledgeable gardeners than I, have lost the fight, why should I feel so bad that its beating me too, perhaps we should just resign ourselves to just keeping this pest in check rather than trying to perform the impossible ,though much wished for ,its total eradication.

After all it does have a few positive traits, now don’t all start screaming at me in protest, but it’s true ,it does in certain circumstances have some positive maybe even redeeming qualities. Don’t get me wrong I am definitely not suggesting or recommending the purchase this plant or its inclusion in any garden that isn’t already pestered by it , but for those who are already tormented by Bishops weed already it does have a couple of redeeming features

According too the Alien plant website ,Bishops weed is apparently edible “In parts of Russia, the leaves are sometimes used as a salad ingredient and potherb in the spring.” so if you can’t tame it possibly you should try eating it. also recommended are the young leaves boiled and eaten as a green vegetable, as in Sweden and Switzerland.

Referencing the Modern Herbal :- it has certain pain relieving properties if made as a tea “It was called Bishopsweed and Bishopswort, because so frequently found near old ecclesiastical ruins. It is said to have been introduced to England by the monks of the Middle Ages, who cultivated it as a herb of healing. It was called Herb Gerard, because it was dedicated to St. Gerard, who was formerly invoked to cure the gout, against which the herb was chiefly employed.’

Culpepper says:

‘It is not to be supposed Goutwort hath its name for nothing, but upon experiment to heal the gout and sciatica; as also joint-aches and other cold griefs. The very bearing of it about one eases the pains of the gout and defends him that bears it from the disease.’

Also according to the modern herbal it may even have some cosmetic value.” Bishopsweed for those who like to look pale.” So for any of you budding Goth gardeners out there, with an abundance of Bishops weed it may be a use worthy of further research.

And it must be acknowledged It is a very, very good ground cover ,virtually no other garden pest or weed possibly with the exception of moss, can grow beneath the almost full shade of its leaf canopy. It will grow beneath trees in very shady problem areas, where the ground would be bare or filled with far more unattractive weeds, deer and rabbits don’t like it. I have planted with it successfully certain other plants that have rhizome’s such as the iris and asparagus, the alliums seem to grow well with it ,just pushing their way through its leaves, When planted with tulips and daffodils after they have bloomed there ugly dead leaves are soon obscured by the foliage of the Bishops weed ,also nearly as indestructible as the bishops weed itself the day lily, copes very well as a companion plant.