A Mighty Blow

Lovely While It Was Blooming

Cindy decided to take out an overgrown Bush Germander, Teucrium fruticans, in the front yard last week.

It was pretty early last spring when it was in bloom, and the honey bees loved it.  I sat and watched them mining it for pollen while I was waiting for Mr. Upside Down, the Monarch butterfly, to hatch out of his chrysalis.

Alas, Poor Mattock

However, after the bush stopped blooming, it just kept growing and by summer it had become very leggy and too large for the space it was in.  It also had some tall grasses growing up through the stems of the bush that were almost impossible to weed out.

So she cut the bush down and then went after the roots with her favorite garden tool, the mattock.  Unfortunately, the root was thick and very strong and resisted her efforts to dig it out until she gave it one more mighty whack.

The root finally came out, but the force she used bent the blade of the mattock.  I didn't know it was possible to do that, but just don't stand in Cindy's way when she's determined to root something out.

Thick Roots