I did some serious work in my yard yesterday and have more to go because two years ago I very stupidly ignored a thistle growing in the parkway of the lot next to us. I should have taken care of it even though it was on Proctor Endowment's Homes property because of course guess who's over run with thistles now!!!
In case you don't know the thistle intimately, here it is:
Scottish Thistle
Beautiful isn't it. I find it so anyway. But that's the flower. The rest of it. Well not so much. Because it's covered in spikes.
It's like a dandelion that's gone to the dark side.
And like Dandelions, you're in big trouble if the flowers get to this point.
Because then you'll have this...
My yard isn't that bad yet but seriously I have to go after them now or next year it could be and then my neighbors will really come for me. The guy's yard this came from died or I'd be pissed at him. So when they're about 3 feet high and spiky how am I to clear them. I have a system.
First I use my loppers and I cut them back to the ground and use the loppers to grab a hold of them and not cut again but fling them out of the way. If that doesn't work I have a pitchfork I pick the peices up with and put directly into trash can. Then I go after the root with a Mattock. What's a Mattock? It's like a pick-axe with a flat blade. I chop at it with both ends. I also use the Mattock to smash them down into the garbage can so I can put 20 or so of these monsters in there.
Chances are still good they will come back but I'll be watching and keep removing them which is called exhausting the perennial roots. You have to go back every 21 days or less and remove any top growth and it'll starve any roots left.
Yes. So let this be a lesson to all of you. Don't be fooled by this pretty flower. It's evil. Remove and destroy it as soon as possible.
And don't mistake your artichoke or milk thistle plants for a Scottish thistle either.
Here's an artichoke allowed to bloom instead of being harvested to eat.
Yum yum.
And this thistle will heal your liver. Milk Thistle.
