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Common Garden Weeds
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Annual
Scarlet Pimpernel
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Anagallis arvensis
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Poisonous if ingested, causes dermatitis. Surface cultivations help in control |
Shepherd’s purse
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Capsella bursa-pastoris
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Control is by repeated surface tillage
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| Hairy bittercress |
Cardamine hirsuta
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Native, self-pollinating plant. Early tillage and hoeing is an effective control |
| Fat-hen |
Chenopodium album
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Native summer annual. May host pests such as black bean aphid. Surface cultivation and hoeing are control methods |
| Groundsel |
Senecio vulgaris
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Native, prolific on good land. Hoe fortnightly to around 50mm depth |
| Smooth sow thistle |
Sonchus oleraceus
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Native, prefering recently disturbed nutrient rich soil. Hoe and hand-weed to control |
| Field speedwell |
Veronica persica
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Control via surface cultivation and hoeing |
| Cleavers |
Galium aparine
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Extensive root system allows weed to thrive in dry conditions. Sap may cause skin irritation. Mulch to prevent germination |
| Pineappleweed |
Matricaria discoidea
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Seed weight is 0.13g so easily spread in mud splashes. Needs light for germination. Hand weed or dig to control
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| Knotgrass |
Polygonum aviculare
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Eradication is impossible; plant will regenerate if top is cut off during growing season. Regular light surface tillage may control spread |
| Redshank |
Polygonum persicaria
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Native summer annual. Surface cultivation and regular hoeing may help control |
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" - A. A. Milne, said by Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh
Perennial
Creeping buttercup
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Ranunculus repens |
Native. Spreads by seed and epigeal stolons that root at the nodes. Control by frequent and vigorous cultivation in hot weather. |
Lesser celandine
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Ranunculus ficaria
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Native. Can spread by root tubers. Dig deeply to remove tubers and root systems |
| Oxalis |
Oxalis corniculata
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Seeds spread from expolosive bursting of ripe pods. Remove by digging (ensuring complete removal of rhizomes and bubils) or supress with mulch.
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Greater plantain
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Plantago major
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Native. Reproduction is primarily by seed, germinating in spring. Shallow perennial taproot is readily destroyed by cultivation |
Stinging nettle
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Urtica dioica
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Causes skin irritation. Remove by hand-weeding and digging. Roots are yellow so easy to spot |
Dandelion
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Taraxacum spp.
(T. officinale, T. vulgare)
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Reproduces both vegetatively and from seed; a small piece of root may regenerate. Remove by digging out entire plant |
Colt’s foot
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Tussilago farfara
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Native, rhizomatous perennial, especially troublesome on heavy land. Seed is wind dispersed. Vegetative reproduction is by thick fleshy rhizomes that can penetrate several feet into the soil. Hoe flower heads, and dig to disturb rhizomes
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Broad-leaved dock
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Rumex obtusifolius
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A host for the potato eelworm,black bean aphids and mangold fly. Dig deeply to remove entire plant and branching taproots
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Field horsetail
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Equisetum arvense
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Toxic to sheep, cattle and horses. Spreads by rhizomes and spores. New stems regenerate from rhizome fragments and from tubers. Eradicaton is impossible however soil drainage, liming, deep cultivation, improvements in soil texture and persistent cutting may help control
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Field bindweed
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Convolvulus arvensis
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Native, pernicious perennial. Extent of root system renders weed impossible to remove by cultivation alone. Hoe off seedlings soon after they emerge |
Creeping thistle
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Cirsium arvense
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seedlings are sensitive to drought and early competition for light. Cultural controls include digging, mowing, mulching, the use of competitive crops and the cleaning of equipment
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Common mouse-ear
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Cerastium fontanum
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Short-lived perennial, native in grassland and in open cultivated land. Stems are prostrate or erect; spreading stems sometimes root at the nodes. Control by thorough and deep cultivation
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Rosebay willowherb
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Chamerion angustifolium
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An erect, rhizomatous, perennial, native. Dig or hand-weed to remove rosettes. Mulching may inhibit germination. A wide variety of phytophagus insects are associated with rosebay willowherb in Britain
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Ground elder
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Aegopodium podagraria
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A rhizomatous perennial. Hoe and dig frequently to exhaust the creeping rootstock, collecting and burning rhizomes where found
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Couch grass
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Elymus repens
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Spreads by rhizomes; is self-sterile. Hand-weed in early spring in combination with chemical control such as Glyphosate |
| Bramble |
Rubus fruticosus
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Roots are killed by frequent cultivation, Avoid cutting the stems at or near ground level as it stimulates the formation of suckers from the lateral roots
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"A weed is a plant that is not only in the wrong place, but intends to stay." - Sara Stein, author of My Weeds: A Gardener's Botany
Biennial
Spear thistle
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Cirsium vulgare
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Can be a serious problem in cultivated land. Hoeing is an effective control method. |
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