Lately as I've been weeding the garden, I've noticed many self-sown seedlings, especially foxgloves, larkspur, perilla and even rose of Sharon.  When I was a novice gardener, I never grubbed out unwanted seedlings, because I was afraid that if I did so I would somehow jinx all my gardening efforts.  After all, what are self-sown plants if not a gift horse, and we've all been taught never to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Now that I have many years of gardening under my belt, I am more practical and less superstitious.  The same plants have been self-seeding in my yard for years, and if I grub out the unwanted ones no harm at all will be done.  Plants like California poppy, which produce thousands of seeds, do so to ensure the survival of the species.  Even if I pull out scores of tiny California poppy offspring, I won't come anywhere near getting all of them. 

Of course the choice plants that I want to self-sow rarely do so.  That's part of the natural order as well.  Some of those plants are sterile hybrids; others just need extremely specific conditions for proper germination.   The money that I save by not buying the self-seeders can be spent on plants that refuse to reproduce in my private Eden.

Wise gardeners make peace with nature--and grub out chance-sown seedlings.