The saying goes “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. My treasures today include several plants that are considered weeds. Nut sedge, the chartreuse flowers at the top right, is a particularly reviled weed. Some call this sand spurs. I have pulled a great deal of it out of my garden and dog paws. I was pulling some yesterday and thought ‘this looks like a Papyrus’ well, for good reason. It is a Cyperus, while Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) is a wetland sedge. This is a dryland sedge. But a treasure for today only.
The ferns are Asian Sword Ferns, a very pretty weed, great vase filler, and invasive nuisance in Florida. I have been pulling these out after rains all winter. They hang on for dear life when it’s dry and are very difficult to pull out.
The white daisy flower is a Bidens alba, these are a nuisance to me although a great nectaring plant for bees and butterflies. These reseed so prolifically I cut them to stop it. I am pretty certain I will never run out of Bidens. Its common name is Spanish Needles, the seeds are sharp and it is said the early settlers of Florida used them as needles.
A closer view:
Most of these treasures are excellent nectar producers for pollinators. The hot pink flowers are Heirloom Pentas (Penta lanceolata); yellow and red daisies, Gallardia pulchella; red spikes are Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); the white spikes are Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata). The Sweet Almond has perfumed my hallway with the scent of Marzipan.
Here is a Gulf Frittilary enjoying the nectar of the Heirloom Penta.
Happy Gardening…to see more vases go visit http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com.
The Shrub Queen 
Some weeds can be so pretty, but I learned my lesson when I decided to let some grow. That is interesting about making needles from the daisy. Back in the day, women had to be innovative.
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Yes, I will be pulling lovelies I let go for years. I wonder how the Spanish Needles were threaded?
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Hmmm…good question. The women that moved to these hot, humid, mosquito filled climates were very brave and probably desperate.
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Love your celebration on nature…there is such beauty around, and you certainly have shown it to good effect in your vase this week. I suppose it is the way the weeds grow so well and choke out some of our choice plants that is the nub of the problem.
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I admire your knowledge of all these plants and lovely photos
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Thank you, still learning both.
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Very pretty! Great idea to use the ‘bad guys’ as art before they hit the dumpster, ha! I use Asian bittersweet in the fall for the same reason. It is pretty, but what a thug!
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Thank you, elevate, then decimate the thugs?
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🙂
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Yes, if everyone picked the inavsive plants before they could set seed we could reduce their spread – but that’s just wishful thinking! The sweet almond look lovely and the fragrance sounds lovely too and I always enjoy seeing that tropical red salvia. Thanks for sharing another taste of the tropics
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Wishful but good thinking. I think, for the most part, no one would use these as cut flowers.
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The sedge reminds me very much of something similar here. And the Bidens are such a lovely little highlight in your colourful arrangement. Love the salvia and the sweet almond flowers too. Does your Salvia flower almost all year?
We should all use more weeds in our vases to reduce the population! 😉
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I love the thought, use more weeds! The Salvia does bloom most of the year, depending on the weather. I would love to know how many generations..Sedges are everywhere, I think Bidens are as well.
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My own garden is full of similar kinds of weeds, many of which (like Erigeron karvinskianus and Geranium incanum) are sold as decorative plants by local garden centers. I love your Sweet Almond – I’ve tried growing its cousin, Aloysia citrodora, with only limited success.
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Yes, to a certain extent beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Reality dictates to sell what people will buy and here we are! I am constantly amazed at the differences in what you and I can grow…
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What a gorgeous use of ‘weeds’ in your vase this week. I love orange and pink together. Your butterfly is so pretty, is it large?
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Love your bravery. I was feeling charitable towards some weeds this week but know old best get tough. Ha!
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LOL and they last a long time cut.
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That was supposed to say, “know I’d best get tough”!
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I read between the lines, are you getting TS Bertha?
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Literally did not know about Bertha! Hardly keep up with news/weather, but yes! It is raining today and the patio is flooded. You missed it I assume? Said it formed over SC?
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No Bertha here though we had over 7 inches of rain Monday and more today.
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Okay, I am not warming up to the nut sedge.
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Flowering weeds are pretty. Just think of how many small children pick weeds for their mom that end up in a vase. Great post.
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