I recently planted seven fruit trees at my folks' property in northern Kentucky (zone 6b). They are all heirloom cultivars, an Arkansas Black, Fuji, and Grimes Golden apples, Methley & Shiro plums, and two grafted Paw Paws. My growing experience comes mostly from apprenticing on a nursery in New Mexico and I became familiar with the weeds and beneficial plants present in the high desert. Here I am unsure about many of the species I have found sprouting in the circles around the trees where I mulched and seeded with red and white clover. I'd like to know what they are before I start pulling and hope this is the right forum to ask. I've numbered each photo below to make it easier for responses. Any recommendations on the best field guides or methods to begin identifying these on my own? #1 #2 ...plantain? #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 Center frame, not the euonymus #8 This and euonymus dominate the hillside. I'm told this species is invasive and metro parks actively try and eradicate it #9
Have you checked with your local authorities or land groups if they have weed identification booklets? Our local council (I live in Australia) has booklets that show weeds that are common in our area. We have a number of weeds that must be bagged and disposed of carefully to help reduce the risk of spreading them further
i sometimes try to identify things, but in your list i see most that also grow around here as weeds. i haven't id'd them yet. the one you say is plantain doesn't look like either of the two i know about, but it does spread easily and the roots are a pain if you don't get them all out. animals eat it, small daisy on top i think it is. if not it might be what we call a pinwheel but that is our name for it and if it is it spreads easily. if a spot isn't being used by a garden plant i don't mind if there is a weed growing there instead. Mum has other ideas and all must come out. with as much area as we have that's just not possible, but i do what i can. preventing seeding is a good idea (from Terra) until you know what you want to do with it further. often i just pull them and leave them to become worm food. if they have seeds or flowers i remove those and put them in the weed buckets to be buried deeply and/or the weed piles.