When is a weed not a weed?

"I am just going into the garden to do some weeding", my wife, Sandie, said the other day.  We do tend to have a clear division of responsibilities when it comes to gardening tasks and weeding is something I don't take onboard.  It's not a job I enjoy but more important, I am never quite sure what is deemed to be a weed.  Wikipedia's definition is 'a plant considered undesirable within a certain context'.  Well that really is subjective!  I am sure Sandie and I can agree what, for example, is a rose.  But when it comes to weeds, we do have differences of opinion, although I usually bow to her experience of these matters and anyway, I want a quiet life!

When I had a lawn in the UK, I became quite obsessive about achieving a bowling green effect.  I regularly weeded and fertilised the grass and mowed it using a power mower with a heavy roller to achieve a professional striped finish.  Here in Turkey, the climatic conditions are vastly different to the UK.  We have long hot summers with little or no rain and a mixture of weather in the winter, predominantly dry and mild but with heavy storms at times.  An English lawn would not survive in this part of Turkey.  But we do manage to have green lawns, which are a mixture of long-rooted grass and various green 'weeds'.  From a distance it looks good!  The bottom line is, what is regarded as a weed in a UK lawn could be very acceptable here in Turkey.

If a weed is 'a plant considered undesirable within a certain context' then clearly if the 'context' changes, for example UK to Turkey, then what is 'undesirable' also changes.  But context can be more than just climatic conditions.  Context can also be to what extent the lives of weeds affect human activities.  I have already touched on weeds being unacceptable in ornamental lawns and those used for sporting activities, such as bowling, cricket and football.  But of course weeds can also be unacceptable in agricultural environments where they compete for survival against crops that provide food for humans.  This 'context' is where humans are at war with nature.  Plants that interfere with food production have to be controlled otherwise crop yields are reduced or lost.  Humans have a formidable array of deterrents at their disposal, including chemical weapons (weed killers), which can be selective and very effective.

Look at the photo at the beginning of this post.  This is white clover.  Now the lawn enthusiast, which I am happy to say no longer applies to me, would definitely regard this plant as a weed but in many other 'contexts', it is a desirable source of fodder, honey and soil nitrogen.  The lawn specialist would probably eradicate it with a selective weed killer.  However, it tolerates close mowing and is a beneficial component of natural or organic lawn care as a result of its ability to fix nitrogen and out-compete other lawn weeds.  So there's the dichotomy, is it an invasive weed or a truly beneficial companion?!

I could ramble on and on with this topic, but I won't.  We are definitely exploring the world of opinion rather than fact.  So when is a weed not a weed?  Ask my wife! 😊