JULY UPDATE!!! In May I blogged about this weed that took over the garden and I mistakenly identified the weed as heal-all.
The plant that over took the garden beds this spring is NOT heal-all at all.
It is Red Dead Nettle instead! For more information about Dead Nettle scroll to the bottom of my blog post.
I usually don’t mind a little heal-all Dead Nettle in and around the garden but this year it was extra prolific.
It took over the herb bed inside and out.
I could hardly find my cilantro.
The heal-all Dead Nettle made itself at home in the strawberry bed.
The strawberries where not happy.
So much heal-all Dead Nettle
Enough to fill a wheelbarrow. . . twice. 😱
There is my cilantro right next to my oregano!
Next, I’ll add basil, dill and rosemary now that there is some room.
Ah! The strawberries are happy.
They have room to spread.
Not bad for a weekend in the weeds!
JULY UPDATE: The prolific weed in my garden is Dead Nettle rather than Heal-all. Check out Colleen Codekas:“about purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) because she has lots of experience with this plant as a forager and herbal medicine maker. You’ll also receive access to Colleen’s recipe for herbal honey infused with purple dead nettle, which could serve as a tasty way to get some relief from seasonal allergies!
Heal-all, self heal, woundwort, heart- of- the- earth . . . Prunella vulgaris . . . often confused with Dead Nettle and is an overlooked and unwanted weed. It is, however, a very versatile herb with many health and medicinal benefits.
If you would like to learn more about this very common and prolific herb, check out The Self Heal Herb by Rosalee .
Back Porch Studio 
Those are some ambitious planting beds, Pauline! What a lot of work to clear out all the heal-all. Were you able to put any of it to good use?
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Thank you Nancy.
I still have plenty growing outside the planting beds.
Before I dive into using heal all, I need to make double sure that this prolific herb is, in fact, heal all. I went back to review the video at the link I provided (Self Heal Herb by Rosalee) and found that heal all and dead nettle are very similar.
Stay tuned!
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It’s always interesting to learn about good uses for the “weeds” and other things we discard. There’s probably a sermon in there somewhere … 😉
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LOL! I think you are right in that there is a sermon in there!
Thank you for stopping by! ❤️
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My pleasure. 🙂
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I love that weeds are not all bad, like dandelions are so good for heart health and rich in potassium. This year I allowed my dandelions to grow and flourish…just not in my beds!!
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I enjoy dandelions but from afar! – afar-away from my garden beds!😄
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