Getting rid of poison ivy

The New York Times has an interesting article today about natural and unnatural methods of removing poison ivy, treating the rashes it causes, and a note that "optimum conditions" lead to the highest exposures: overcast skies and high humidity.

Instead of using poison, organic gardeners pull up the vines and roots (wearing gloves, of course), and immediately dispose of them in garbage bags headed for the landfill. Mike McGrath, the voluble host of "You Bet Your Garden," broadcast weekly on WHYY in Philadelphia, puts plastic shopping bags (the heavy kind from upscale department stores) over his gloved hands, and pulls the vines in such a way that even his gloves don’t touch any part of them. He also wears protective clothing, and washes everything - tools, gloves, clothes, body - with cold water, as soon as the job is done.

And an important note that bears repeating:

One thing everyone agrees on is that however poison ivy is controlled, it should not be burned - not even the dead leaves and vines - because the resin-filled smoke can irritate the skin and damage eyes and lungs.

Read the article here.

Z's Weed

Gardenaut bloggers and readers discussed weeds recently - what constitutes one, and why. We've seen a new twist on this at our home this season as Z insistently watched and watered a plant we were quite confident was a weed that appeared in a disused planter on our porch. It slowly grew for weeks before, to Jenni's and my surprise but not our nearly four-year-old daughter's, a bud appeared.

A week later...

What's particularly strange about this development is that this is not a flower I can remember us growing, not just in that particular pot, but anywhere.

The situation reminds me of the Ruth Krauss/Clement Hurd collaboration The Carrot Seed. That book has always bothered me a bit because the protagonist gets nothing but discouragement from his whole family. We, of course, were never explicitly discouraging. But maybe it reflects the "me against the world" perception that toddlers and young children inevitably develop at some point as their closed-minded elders ignore their dreams, callously but perhaps entirely unintentionally.

At any rate, we were all thrilled to see this new friend, which Z crows about every day on our way to the car. We have made a special point of noting to her that she was the one who grew that flower, and she was the one who knew it was not a weed.

Anyone know what this lovely flower is?

Update: It's a zinnia! Thanks, MissoulaChick!