Gardeners Tips

Continuing on our theme of garden weeds – these are some of the most common garden weed types, which you will invariably have faced at some time.

Couch Grass.

A very common weed which spreads through a system of fine underground stems. On a dry day try digging with a fork and on regrowth try spraying with Glyphosate. Covering with a mulch or solid layer is a good way of weakening or killing the plant.

Horsetail

See Dealing with horsetail. Has been around for 60 million years, if you have some in your garden you will see why. One of the most difficult weeds to eradicate.

Nettles.

Quite easy to deal with. If you are not in a rush, make repeated cuts at the base of the plant and put stems on compost. Nettles make excellent compost and are an excellent mix of stems and leaves. Young leaves can even be eaten and are quite nutritious. Nettles are also good for wildlife.

To kill off the plant use fork or spade to lift up the clumb of yellowish roots. These are not too deep. Also responds well to weedkiller.

Dandelions

In spring these will suddenly grow very vigorously. Before you know it they will have set seed and will be a problem for years to come. Therefore, the best time to act is before they set seed in late April.

They have a simple long tap root. It is hard to lift up the whole tap root without breaking off the lower part which will send up new shoots. However, it can be satisfying to try and dig up the long single tap root. Will respond to repeated weed killer sprays.

Dock Leaves.

As the saying goes where there are nettles, there will also be docks. Similar to dandelions. long tap root and can easily regrow from the smallest part.

Bindweed.

Grows through deep connection of underground white roots. Also flowers (actually very attractive) and sets seed. The roots can be a pain to dig up. But, for deep infestations, it is best to try and dig up most of the roots.
One helpful tip is to put a cane in the ground. The bindweed will grow up the cane, making it easier to apply weedkiller and avoid surrounding plants. See Bindweed Control

Ground Elder.

– Another tough nut you don’t want to see in your garden. Can spread rapidly if left unchecked. Requires hard work to get rid of it.
Japanese Knotweed.

Could well lay claim to being the worst ever weed. If you have it in your garden Good luck – either that or consider moving. More on Knotweed

More Common Garden Weeds

• Broad Leaved Willowherb. Can set thousands of seeds. Not too difficult to deal with in small quantities.
• Budleia – In one sense makes an attractive plant – loved by butterflies, but, has immense powers of reproduction, growing in most unlikely of situations.
• Thistle. A good hoeing should be enough.
• Cleavers. – Stick to your clothing. hoeing should be fine to get ride off.
• Ramsons (Wild Garlic) tough weeds
• Bittercress
• Shepherd’s Purse
• Broad Leaved Plaintain. – Not too bad.
• Creeping Buttercup – a vigorous spreader. Can grow in middle of crass and through the border. Needs its roots tackling.
• White clover – a common grass weed.
• Ivy Leaved Toadflax
• Ivy Leaved Speedwell

See also list of Uncommon Weeds

Weedkillers for Weeds

• General Tips for Weeding a Garden

• Roundup Weedkiller concentrate. Good for large areas which need treating.

• Weedkillers at Amazon.co.uk

Other Resources

Common Lawn Weeds
Uncommon Weeds
Weed control of Avens
Horsetail and Mares-tail
Why war with weeds

Alligator weed by Brisbane City Council CC BY 2.0 a snap of a weed I have never come across and have no wish so to do!

‘A weed is any plant growing in the wrong place’ – but some weeds are more wrong than others.
Unfortunately weeds are not weedy but more thuggee.

Weeds: The Story of Outlaw Plants: A Cultural History

Problems Caused by Weeds
At their worst weeds can take over and suppress all other growth.
Weeds take water and nutrition from the soil and rob your plants.
Other cultivated plants can’t fight weeds and give of their best at the same time.
Weeds can throttle and kill weaker species and cast a shadow over others.

Pest & Weed Expert:

Declare War
Before we get onto chemical warfare you can fight weeds at there own game.
Cover the weeds with a membrane to exclude light. Cardboard or layered newspaper may work and you can plant through this covering. Add at least 2″ of mulch and soil on top.
Hand weeding is the Rolls Royce method. You have to keep up to this job on a regular basis.
When digging over a patch take care to remove all perennial weeds and bits of their roots. (Don’t compost the roots).
Annual weeds can be hoed so the roots can’t access water and thus die.

The Book of Weeds

Chemical Warfare
Weed killers are available from most garden centres.
Glyphosphate is a systemic chemical that enters through leaves to kill roots. It is ineffective and dissipated as soon as it hits the soil. Spray in autumn and spring on growing weeds but avoid your cultivated plants.
Selective chemicals are available for lawns.

Weeds and What They Tell Us

Gardeners Special Tips
Do not let weeds seed. Cut off weed flowers even if you can’t remove them.
Do not compost seeding weeds as they may not be killed by the heat of the compost.
Kill weeds when they are young.
Early recognition and control of weeds leads to savings in the cost of herbicides and aggravation

Weed Seedlings Colour Atlas

Other Resources

Most Common Weeds
Common Lawn Weeds
Uncommon Weeds
Weed control of Avens
Horsetail and Mares-tail

The Weeders Digest (of edible weeds?)

Grass is designed to be green but gardeners being what they are they often want to get Black Grass.

Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigresens is often called Black Mondo. It is a rhizomus grass with delicate flowers.

The snowdrop sets off the grass which is easy to grow but occasionally slow to spread.
It makes a gothic garden feature or fits in well with a ‘black foliage and flower garden’.
The straplike, shiny black foliage grows in little tufts and combines well with many other plants.
Ophiopogon planiscapus Nigresens is not to be confused with Black-grass Alopecurus myosuroides or Black twitch. This is an annual weed native throughout the UK.

Plants and framed photographs are available from Amazon.