What’s your WORST WEEDY NIGHTMARE?
Having spent all morning preparing the early potato bed, mine has to be ….
DOCKS >:( >:( >:( Score ‘3’ on the angry face scale:
Blasted things. The roots are longer than a maths exam. I’ve had to purchase a drain spade to get the swines out.
Apparently, and according to Mad Frank, a dock seed was found in an ancient Egyptian pyramid and it STILL germinated. And according to my neighbour Ahmed, you will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get rid of them (mind you, he’s not known for his optimistic outlook on life!)
I don’t really care if its leaves DO help soothe nettle stings. I’d rather roll around naked in a patch of nettles than have to dig up ONE MORE OF THESE ATROCIOUS WEEDS.
HORSETAIL >:( >:( Scores ‘2’ on the angry face scale:
This vile abomination springs up on my allotment quicker than Zebedee at bedtime and a cruel twist of nature has made its roots BROWN so you can’t see them in the soil. ARGGHHHHHHHHH ::)
According to Jekka McVicar it has culinary and medicinal properties so I suppose it can be partially excused. It can also be used as a substitute for asparagus (not in MY lifetime/saucepan Jekka, but thanks anyway) and can be used to treat amnesia and ‘general debility’. I think if I ever had amnesia the first thing I’d try to remember to forget would be to use it as a treatment.
Apparently, in mythological circles, it has been associated with goblins, toads, snakes and the devil. That figures!
DANDELIONS >:( Score ‘1’ on the angry face scale:
Prolific little breeders aren’t they? One slight puff of wind and a million babies are born. A clear case for the Marie Stopes Dandelion Clinic. Look out for one opening near you!
Dandelion root coffee??? Erm … no thanks! But I do use the leaves for salads and add them to roast veg dishes so they are also partially excused.
But despite the 'partial pardon' I have to say OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!!!!!
The leaves are also good for kidney and liver strengthening, so if you’ve been on the ‘pop’ and find yourself face down in your front garden on a Saturday night then don’t try and get up. Just crawl towards the nearest dandelion and eat it instead of a kebab. You’ll probably p**s the bed anyway so ignore the fact that the leaves have diuretic qualities.
So what’s your worst weed? Feel free to vent your spleen here 8)
Trixie XXX
LOL trixie, loved your post.
>:( >:( >:( cooch
>:( >:( the creeping thing with small reddish brown leaves and little yellow flowers, and nodes on its roots
>:( cleavers aka sticky willie, can't find its roots, and it hides whilst you're weeding then grows several feet in the night
Supersprout! Does the 'creeping thing' weed you mentioned stink horrible? Easy to pull out but smells foul???? I've got that in my front garden ... YEEEUUUURCH!
Dandelion, ranks a 5 with me.
:'(
Couch...just when you think you have got it all it appears again just at the edge of your periferal (sp?) vision!! You go for that bit, then see more, and more, and so on...
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
>:(
Sad for a Scot really but I think for me public enemy number one is thistles >:( >:( >:(
closely followed by couch >:( >:(
Couch here too ...
I hate bindweed as I have it growing all around my lottie fence and just can't get rid of it. Another one is dock as it goes so deep so keeps on coming up no matter how much you dig it out. Hate ground elder too which I have in my house garden, - those blessed roots are everywhere, just thank heaven it is clear at the lottie. Couch is a nuisance, but I live with horsestail. busy_lizzie
My top worst weed is creeping buttercup, followed by ground elder, followed by horsetail.
creeping buttercup >:( >:( >:( ( legacy from an old neighbour )
dandies >:( >:( >:(
docks >:( >:(
creeping buttercup :P :P :P :P
thistle :P :P :P (well I think they're some sort of thistle, they're spiky and prickle you when you try to pull them out)
couch :P :P
nettles :P
Bindweed, followed by ground elder. I don't mind docks so much, they don't travel like the others, and once they're out they're out. As long as you don't leave them overwinter, the new ones are easily got rid of. I don't like goosegrass, and it's a bit of a problem right now. I had to abandon my flowerbeds to the weeds for a couple of years as every time I weeded, all the flowers there walked. I've now got it coming up like cress, the seedlings go straight through a layer of mulch. But it's only a matter of getting it before it flowers.
Bindweed :( :( :( :(
Couch grass :( :( :(
Nettles :( :( :(
Cows Parsley :( :(
Creeping buttercup :( :(
Sun spurge Euphorbia helioscopia (pictured below) Very poisonous :(
Horsetail - I'm taking up miles of root and bud, but I know that there is at least three times as much still in the soil below the level that I can reach.
In comparison, don't mind couch or creeping buttercup as they are easier to get up.
When it dries up a bit, they are all going to get the Roundup treeatment ;D ;D
In my garden:
:( :( >:( cleavers
>:( >:( creeping buttercup
>:( brambles
On my allotment:
>:( >:( >:( >:( >:( couch
>:( >:( >:( brambles (REALLY BIG ONES!!!!)
>:( >:( >:( horseradish
>:( >:( docks
I've got dandelions in my garden too, but quite like them ;)! I feed them to the guinea pigs (chickweed too).
worst weed on my plot Hairy finger grass ,I hate the stuff!!
Bindweed >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Docks >:( >:( >:( >:(
Dandelion >:( >:( >:( >:(
Horseradish >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Mines the small annual nettle that seeds itself from about two inches high onwards,
bittercress, which seeds like mad too, especially when sprayed
and the worst pain in the ar@e, the annual meadow grass!
All hell for the gardener, especially when you know there is more weed seed in that ground to more than last for your lifetime ! ???
And bindweed can be beaten, ive beaten it by digging out every last little piece of root, and virtually no reappearance in over a year !
And here I am about to plant horseradish!
As a helper to old folks with their gardens.
- Celendine
- Self heal
- Slender Speedwell
Self heal is a 'Ba***rd' to get rid.
Climate change is definitely an influence on the variety of weeds I have had to deal with during the last 5 years.
DOCKS
Giving them all a FIVE!! they all seem to be on the increase - Marestail, Couch, DANDELION and DOCK and whatever that creepiong buttercup thing is!! But still I tell myself "What is life without a challenge?" - please, please someone tell me it is all worthwhile and I haven't wasted 20 years of my life fighting a losing battle!!! Please!!!
Trixie - yet again you have hit a raw nerve!! ;) ;D
Dandelion, Rosebay Willow-herb, Couch, Dock, Horseradish are the worst on my plot, in that order.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 01, 2006, 21:22:26
And here I am about to plant horseradish!
Oh Robert - don't! Put it in a big pot, old dustbin, whatever, but you'll regret it if you put it in the ground :)
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 01, 2006, 21:22:26
And here I am about to plant horseradish!
And here am I about to plant nettles - as a crop and compost activator! what are we like robert ;)
;D ;D ;D
That's what I'm going to do, don't worry. I do the same with mint.
Bindweed >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Having dug the entire plot to sub-soil level (Yes, sub-soil level !) and moving it all forward about 3 feet (got lots of strange looks from other plotters) and inspected every shovel load for roots. IT STILL COMES BACK !!!!!!
No-one's yet mentioned Japanese Knotweed......well, I am :'( :'(
The biggest thug, even bigger than the knotweed, in my garden, tho, is the bloke next door's rubbish, shards of broken greenhouse glass and odd bits of wire to tangle round the blades of the mower a speciality. The other week, tho, he excelled himself.....in the middle of a shrubbery, where it had obviously landed with some force judging by the snapped branches, etc., was........a long-handled pickaxe! Thought of returning it to him gift-wrapped with a pink bow, embedded into his thick skull...
Top three for me at the moment are...
- Bindweed >:( >:( >:(
- Chickweed >:( >:(
- Meadow Grass >:(
John
Quote from: Trixiebelle on April 01, 2006, 14:06:20
I’d rather roll around naked in a patch of nettles than have to dig up ONE MORE OF THESE ATROCIOUS WEEDS.
I might be able to put some work your way with some er...... artistic film people I know. ;D ;D ;D
They'll need a wide-angled lens Pete ;D
Quote from: jennym on April 02, 2006, 00:33:32
Dandelion, Rosebay Willow-herb, Couch, Dock, Horseradish are the worst on my plot, in that order.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 01, 2006, 21:22:26
And here I am about to plant horseradish!
Oh Robert - don't! Put it in a big pot, old dustbin, whatever, but you'll regret it if you put it in the ground :)
hahaha, I planted some in my garden and managed to kill it...perhaps that was a good thing afterall then ;D ;D
i WANT horseradish!, anyone want to off load some on to me?
:-*
Trouble is it's so hard to dig up.. ;D ;D ;D
I can't see the weeds for the couch grass ;D
if you don't dig it you might as well get rid of it. If you can!
Nice one Robert ;D
I don't have too much trouble with most of the common weeds in my garden - I get a lot of fat hen, speedwell, dandelions etc, but they come out pretty easily when small.
The biggest problem for me doesn't even have a name, as far as I'm aware. It looks quite pretty - producing small white bluebell-like flowers from January to May and has pleasant looking grassy leaves. Or so I thought in the first couple of years in the garden. Now it grows everywhere. Spreads like mad and keeps popping up where I least expect it. I keep pulling it up (which is good as it adds to the compost) but it keeps on coming.
brambles, bindweed, nettles, field grass..
do forget-me-nots count? they've taken over my garden at home >:( >:( >:( >:(
I've just planted some forget-me-nots ... and daisies!!!!
aquilegia, i reckon i know what you've got, they're like snowdrops but multi headed, they lovely, my mums got them in her front garden, but like bluebells they just keep multi-plying, can't remember the name of them though
1. Bindweed
2. Docks
3. Thistles.
In my last house I had some very pretty thing that looked like orangy dandelion type flowers about 9" tall on a stem. They sell whatever-it-is in garden centres - but they are terribly invasive and really difficult to get rid of.
Would get my vote if I knew its name!
muscari - grape hyacy(i?)nth? (only invasive blue plant I know ::))
At the moment my least favourite is bramble! It has managed to work its way into the greenhouse on my new plot and it hurts if you don't wear really thick gloves!!
Aqui, could your "weed" be Scilla? I planted a few bulbs many years ago and am still trying to dig it out - clumps keep on reappearing ( think you can get various shades but I dig almost all of them up as soon as I see the grassy leaves) A small pic but may give you the idea (http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/thumbs/scsi2_002_tvp.jpg)
Someone may have planted them before you but they are a woodland plant I think in the wild.
Quote from: periwinkle on April 03, 2006, 21:44:44
In my last house I had some very pretty thing that looked like orangy dandelion type flowers about 9" tall on a stem. They sell whatever-it-is in garden centres - but they are terribly invasive and really difficult to get rid of.
Would get my vote if I knew its name!
HAWKWEED, also known as the devils paintbrush or fox and cubs.
That little picture above looks like wild garlic, a type of alium, very very invasive.
Worse weed I've come across lately is himalayan balsam, it spreads like mad when the seeds explode and then they lie dormant and come up again just when you think you have got rid of them.
It's a nuisance, but the seeds are short-lived, and if you keep pulling them out before they flower, they do disappear. I only have a few coming up each year now, when a few years ago the stuff was taking over. You've got to be completely ruthless, and pull it up by the roots. Don't cut it because it grows again and flowers. Fortunately it's shallow rooting and easy to pull up. Once it flowers, the seed pods burst quite violently, and throw the seeds everywhere, so don't ever let it get to that point.
Any advice on thistles? The roots go really deep but are brittle when pulled so break off and just grow again. :'(
Couch grass >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Bindweed >:( >:( >:( >:(
Ground elder >:( >:( >:( >:(
Creeping thistle >:( >:( >:( >:(
Dock >:( >:( >:(
Dandelion >:( >:(
Couch grass is definitely my worst enemy at the mo', but I haven't started tackling my patch of bindweed properly yet, so I may change my mind!
>:( >:( >:( bindweed, bindweed and oh yes, more bindweed.
>:( >:( creeping buttercup
>:( dandelions & docks
... haven't managed to visit for 4 weeks (had family bereavement that's thrown our world upside down), so next time I visit I expect there'll be a meadow swaying gently in the wind mocking my efforts.
Oooops! It looks like I'm the only one that actually likes weeds! I can never get enough of them. But then I do have 9 tortoises to feed and that is what they eat and in great quantities. I sow dandelions and plantain and thistles as a crop on the lottie. :)
The only one I have trouble with ('cause they don't eat it) is the red-leaved thing mentioned earlier with nodules under the soil.
I have a weed that has silvery dull leaves and white roots that are really squiggly. That is a pest. The wost has to be a mallow type thing with purple flowers that has roots like dock. Flipping nuisance.
Quote from: myrtle on April 07, 2006, 08:28:17
I do have 9 tortoises to feed and that is what they eat and in great quantities. I sow dandelions and plantain and thistles as a crop on the lottie. :)
Ooh yum, all those rare nutrients sucked up by weed roots from way, way down in the soil and processed by tortoises ::) Prize pumpkin fertiliser eh myrtle ;) ;D ;D
You betcha! Only the best for my prize winning pumpkin! ;)
I do like some weeds. I let a few Great Mullein grow, for instance, because it's a spectacular plant, and it's not a nuisance.
Couch >:( >:( >:(
Ground Elder >:( >:( >:( (but I am going to start eating it so it may be a ;D)
Thistles >:( >:( >:( >:(
Dandelions >:( (I feed those to me guniea pigs)
I also had a problem with chinese lantern invading from next door's front garden, till he concreted over his entire area. phew.
last year I round upped what must be creeping buttercup-but it's jumped and coming up in the middle of grass now. roundup job again I'm afraid...soon
The Rogue's Gallery!
Useful site for identifying weeds
http://theseedsite.co.uk/weeds.html
IMHO an even better one:
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/weeds.htm (http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/weeds.htm)
Thank you both! Both sites look interesting, although depressing for me since my problem is (creeping) thistle. :(
Still at least I know what I'm up against!
myrtle,
i also grow weeds for my tortoise, esp dandelions, he can't get enough of them!! /angle shades x
Thanks to both for weed i/d sites, now I know the small red leafed weed is Yellow Oxalis, Sleeping Beauty (Oxalis corniculata). What a lovely name for a wicked weed!
The really depressing thing is how many of them I recognise instantly (even if I didn't know their names).
I have a bit of creeping thistle too, sadly. Those of you who are growing it deliberately should read http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/weedsact as it's one of the forbidden ones which can get you prosecuted if you don't try and control it!
I had to resort to careful painting with glyphosate gel last summer.
Bleeping stuff's back again. First shoot this last weekend. Grrrrr. The tumbleweed gel is going to get its first airing of the year this week I feel...
moonbells
I actually think that's the only solution much as I prefer not to use chemicals. The dratted plant seems to have inbuilt invulnerability.
This site is another good one for weed identification http://www.robsplants.com/weeds.phpv (http://www.robsplants.com/weeds.phpv) but I have still to identify my reddish weed!
Yours isn't Sleeping Beauty then myrtle?
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/oxalis.gif)
I don't think it is Supersprout, although I've never seen the flowers, the leaves aren't the same. It has palmate leaves on stalks in a rosette on the surface and underneath it has long tough roots with great lumpy nodules on. Some of these if I dig down are the size of walnuts and very woody.
I'll take my camera with me this afternoon and take a piccy. You never know some clever bod on here might know it. :)
Just identified the 'mystery weed' that grows in my garden: Herb Robert
( Geranium robertianum ) AKA .. Death-come-quickly, Robin's eye, Robin hood, Robin-i'-th'-hedge, Stinking Bob, Stinker Bobs, Wren flower
Sounds delightful doesn't it ::) Typical that I live in Notts and it's AKA Robin Hood ::) And it DOES stink .... URGGGHHHHHH >:(
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/herbrob.htm
Pretty wee thing nonetheless Trix!
Not if you get near it Grawc! It really does STINK and being part of the geranium family does NOT EXCUSE IT!! ;D
It's VILE, HORRIBLE and NOT VERY NICE AT ALL!
I am booking myself into a 'Weed Aversion' Clinic tomorrow. I'll let you all know how I'm getting on!
Here's my unidentified weed. If anyone knows what 'tis, please do tell. I shall be eternally grateful! ;D
Weed seedling in situ.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/myrtle60/weedident1.jpg)
After digging down about 10" I pulled up this.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/myrtle60/weedident2.jpg)
this is about thumb-sized.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/myrtle60/weedident3.jpg)
My lawn is riddled with it and it trips you up with the wire like tedrils when you walk barefoot.
My worst weed is the missus >:(. Always in the way, and just when I think I know where to stick me spade in, she moves! Very devious weed.
;D
My problem weeds are:
Thistle
Couch grass
Nettle
Rhubarb
The thistles keep coming back, but I seem to have the couch grass under control - had to dig out every root!
Sorry don't like rhubarb and its everywhere!
I guess we could just give in and start using these weeds to our advantage:
Nettles make a great tea
Hairy Bittercress is supposed to be good in salads
Ground Elder can be cooked like spinach
myrtle - your weed looks like it could be Creeping Cinquefoil. The creeping stems can reach 1m!
Myrtle: See link below! Emmalou's right .. it's creeping cinquefoil.
And on the subject of using it to 'our advantage' ... check out the text below. It's used in anti-wrinkle creams ;D
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://altnature.com/gallery/herbplantpictures/cinquefoil_sm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://altnature.com/gallery/Cinquefoil.htm&h=148&w=150&sz=17&tbnid=iVNMZfsOgna_TM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=90&hl=en&start=19&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCreeping%2BCinquefoil%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG
LOL@trixiebelle! Does it work on tortoises?
;D ;D ;D
No Sprouty ;D Only Oil of Olay works on tortoises! They were attracted to the marketing "Love The Skin You're In" ;D
I do believe you're right! I was thrown by the leaves looking different to the ones on the seed site.
I shall have to check and see if it's a tortoise 'edible'.
QuoteIt's used in anti-wrinkle creams
I could use some of that myself! ;D
Thanks all. :)
the smaller willowherb >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
rosebay willowherb >:( >:( >:(
couch >:( >:( >:(
chickweed >:( >:( >:(
horsetail >:( >:( >:(
brambles >:( >:( >:(
ground elder >:( >:(
docks >:( >:(
Dandelions >:( >:(
thistles >:( >:(
creeping buttercup >:( >:(
bindweed >:(
fat hen >:(
other stuff I dont know >:(
Thank god Knotweeds about the only one I dont have.
oh I have a few good pests
BINDWWWWEEEEDDDD!! It drives me round the bloody bend, and it is all over the shop.
Also have Scarlet Pimpernel but it doesn't have a very long growing season.
Redshank, but not everywhere
Groundsel
Chickweed in the bloody carrots, grrrr
dandelion
thistly thing that rip me to shreds
a bit of dock
toadwort (but it has now died off mostly)
some other low thing, very green, spreads out in a clump from a central point. shallow roots.
I also get wild pansy and a bew buttercups but actually I leave them as I like the way they look.
Also have a massive mallow plant round the back of the compost box but it too.
creeping ****** thistle
bindweed
ground elder
couch grass
but the creeping ****** thistle is absolutely the worst :(
really brittle roots that go down for miles â€" snap them and loads of new thistles grow up in minutes from the tiniest fragment of root >:(
the couch grass seems to be fairly easy to get rid of in comparison, the roots aren't nearly so brittle and in light soil they come out in tact with a hefty tug