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The Weeds Have Won! :-(

After four very sad years, the weeds have won.

And it's not just that it looks bad and overgrown (because it does): It's because EVERY SINGLE KIND of EVIL POISON weed is present in our smalish yard (like 0.3 of an acre).

Poison Ivy is everywhere: Poison Oak sent my husband to the doctor two years ago after he cut it, and now it grew back, hidden under our overgrown weeping cherry tree: And there are several trees/big bushes of Poison Sumac (the worst one!!) thrown in for good measure: (And there may be some poison oak there too) I think there's a very young poison sumac growing between my irises!!! (Shudder): It's BEYOND depressing! :-(

Thankfully, I am not highly allergic to them (my husband is, horribly so, as is my dad), but I've had reactions in the past and I know that reactions can get worse with time.

In any case, I am the one who is going to have to deal with them all. However, I am TERRIBLE at doing yard work. I procrastinate (especially when I have tons to do). And I just can't do it in the heat (especially not covered head to toe in protective clothing and gear!!).

HELP! I am desperate and upset and sad.

And (although I LOVE flowers and wish I could be good at gardening) I want to sell this house and buy a townhouse in which I don't ever have to deal with poisonous weeds ever again!!! :-(

In Brasil we didn't have/don't have poison ivy and its evil friends -- why are they so prevalent here? Why??? :-(
Posted by L at 7:21 AM 
We've been in our house for 15 years and we STILL have poison ivy in the yard. It's a never-ending battle.

May 26, 2015 7:45 AM 
Thank you for posting this! I have weed shame about my own yard and I am really glad to know I'm not alone in my struggles to stay on top of them.

May 26, 2015 11:21 AM 
Ugh, how horrible! And just because you're not highly allergic now doesn't mean you won't become so; apparently ongoing exposure makes one more allergic. That's what happened to me, and now I'm VERY allergic. We actually paid someone a few years ago to clear out our backyard, which had poison ivy everywhere. I'm terrible at identifying it (so thanks for your photos!) and managed to get horribly covered in it, such that my left eye was swollen shut for a week. Good times.

May 26, 2015 7:03 PM 
My dad used to be able to pull out poison oak with his bare hands, and people would hire him to do it. My grandfather, on the other hand, was not that way, but was terribly allergic. I've never tried it because I'm too timid to find out which one I take after! My dad may still be able to do that, but he says he would be afraid to try because be hasn't done it in so long he's not sure if he would still be immune. Hiring someone to get ahead doesn't seem like a bad idea.

May 27, 2015 9:08 AM