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Weeds can seem nothing more than intruders in a well-manicured garden. They spring up unwanted and are hastily removed without a second thought. Superweeds are characterized as malevolent trespassers, intent on destroying humanity's carefully cultivated allotments and trails. But the idea of a weed is constantly changing. In a field of corn the scarlet poppy may be unwelcome, but in other contexts it may be prized.
What we now consider as weeds may once have had practical uses, as food, for example. Some weeds can be helpful to our ecology, yet the presence of weeds is often considered to be a sign of neglect. They are blitzed from farmland, wayside verges, gardens and even pavements. The concept of what is and is not considered naturally occurring even in our remaining wilderness involves a sense of what is native or alien.
Weeds discusses the history of weeds, looking at the ways literature has interrogated this slippery concept. Weeds is an informative resource for understanding exactly what turns a plant into a weed in varying contexts and reveals just how interesting and useful these seemingly pointless plants can be. Weeds is the perfect companion for gardeners or readers with an interest in botany, as well anyone seeking knowledge about what is, and what is not, a weed.
Introduction
One: The Idea of Weeds
Two: The Background
Three: Image and Allegory
Four: Unnatural Selection: The War on Weeds
Five: Useful Weeds
Six: In Our Diet
Seven: A Wild and Weedy Garden
Afterword
Timeline
Glossary
References
Further Reading
Associations and Websites
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Nina Edwards is a freelance writer and the author of Offal: A Global History (Reaktion, 2013). She lives in London.
"Is it a weed? Good question. Nina Edward's main point in this well-written book is that it all depends on what you mean [...] There is plenty more of this food for thought here – and, indeed, some food for eating. Recipes are given for ground-elder quiche and dandelion fritters [...] All this dense discussion is thought-provoking."
– Country Life
"The very word has gardeners bristling with hostility, but this book regards those tenacious members of the plant family discerningly."
– Gardens Illustrated, Favourite Books of 2015
"This latest in Reaktion's Botanical series, which is an engaging amalgam of natural and cultural history, is well suited to such treatment because it focuses on plants that have been our companions since our species first began to leave its mark on the planet, such as goosegrass and darnel (the 'tares' mentioned in the Bible). Reading Nina Edwards's entertaining account of their place in our fields, cities, art, and even diet gave me a new respect for these resilient plants."
– BBC Wildlife Magazine
"What is a weed? Now I've read this charming little book, I feel confident that I could have a solid debate about this with the best of them. Who'd have thought the topic of weeds could be so interesting and thought-provoking? Even non-gardeners would enjoy this book, as weeds are presented as part of everyday life, from cookery to medicine to art [...] This is an unexpectedly great read, which leaves you with the thought: 'What would the world be without weeds?''
– English Garden
"Cow parsley in a flower arrangement, nettle soup, dandelion and burdock to drink, tansy for a cough or convolvulus strangling the plants in our borders, burrs sticking to our clothes, thistles scratching our legs on a public footpath [...] Weeds are, to put it mildly, controversial. In Weeds Nina Edwards has considered all these and many, many more aspects of weeds in a detailed examination of the outcasts of the plant world. While I enjoy nothing more than a good gardening book, it had never occurred to me that weeds could be the subject of such a beautiful and fascinating volume."
– Methodist Recorder
"Edwards takes the reader through the history of weeds and their history in art [...] The book is copiously illustrated with paintings and prints [...] The narrative creeps through husbandry, gardening, poetry, food, medicine, and apocalypse [...] From the Bible to Shakespeare, weeds manifest failure, weakness, sexuality, romanticism, freedom, lack of freedom, equality – you name it [...] Weeds makes you think about our combat with plants, always one step ahead, without sentiment."
– Sunday Telegraph
