Topic: Help! Weeds!

[mrsnesbitt]

Can somebody tell me what these weeds are...I have a horrible feeling they are perenials and are just getting ready to take over our paddock.

[Bionic Wellies]

buttercup. - to confirm .... if you dig some up the roots come from a central crown and are white with no offshoots - another feature is that they spread a bit like strawberries - send out streamers that set roots & create a new plant.

Top piccie looks bit like broad leaf parsley too! - but if its buttercup it'll be a d**n side tougher!

[ipt8]

Are both pictures the same plant? The top one certainly looks like buttercup but the bottom looks very tall, but I suppose it could be well fed buttercup being on a paddock!

[mrsnesbitt]

No not the same plant. The top one is round the stone step and the bottom one is in the paddock. I can see that my work is cut out....what is the best way to deal with the bottom type of weed as it does cover a big area.

[Robert_Brenchley]

The top one is surely creeping buttercup. Horrible stuff; it constabtly comes back from seeds if you get behind with the weeding. The bottom one could be ground elder but a closeup would help a great deal.

[Heldi]

Cow parsley ?

[mrsnesbitt]

Yes that's the one.
How can it be dealt with?
Dx

[Robert_Brenchley]

Black plastic, repeated cutting, or digging.

[Heldi]

I have a patch growing in my garden...on purpose!

[MollyBloom]

Be careful - it's often difficult to tell the difference between cow parsley, rough chervil and hemlock - the last two are poisonous, especially hemlock, but both will have livestock staggering around if they graze on it! If you can't find out for certain what this weed is, it's best to eradicate it altogether if you can (flame gun, black plastic, glyphosate, whatever you feel comfortable with using).

[jeanaustin]

It looks like Cow Parsley - also called 'Queen Anne's Lace' in Suffolk.   It will be in flower shortly, and to prevent it seeding, you'll need to remove flower stems.   
Hemlock is very similar but from your description of where its growing (in a paddock) think its much more likely to be Cow Parsley.  Cow Parsley flowers are popular with some flower arrangers, because the white flowers do indeed look like lace.

[mrsnesbitt]

Black Plastic has been mentioned a couple of times...could people expand please?
Thanks D