Weeds in My Garden

Front Cover
Timber Press, Incorporated, Mar 27, 2009 - Gardening - 260 pages

What is a weed? Definitions abound, some more clever than true. For the author, weeds are plants that grow uninvited in places disturbed by people or their animals. But although weeds may invade our fields and gardens, most are not aggressive away from disturbed areas. Some have notable virtues, whether medicinal, culinary, or even ornamental. Not intended to be a manual of weed identification--although the descriptions, drawings, and photographs will help readers name many of their newfound friends--or weed eradication, this book is for anyone interested in weeds as plants. A veritable natural history of weeds, it will encourage readers to look anew at these previously unwelcome guests.

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About the author (2009)

Charles B. Heiser is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Botany at Indiana University, Bloomington. Since 1947 he has observed the weeds in "his garden," the Botany Experimental Field at the university, about which he feels rather possessive because he has grown plants there longer than anyone. His studies of sunflowers led to his interest in natural hybridization, domesticated plants, and weeds. He has served as president of the Botanical Society of America, Society for the Study of Evolution, Society for Economic Botany, and American Society of Plant Taxonomists, and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is also the author of Nightshades, The Sunflower, The Gourd Book, Of Plants and People, and Seed to Civilization.

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