The A to Z Book of Weeds and Other Useful Plants

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The most helpful definition, perhaps, is that a weed is simply an unwanted plant — one that appears rather than grows as a result of cultivation. With that in mind, here are the most common weeds you can find in your garden or lawn: Annual meadow grass Bindweed is a persistent and fast-growing perennial weed with twining stems that can climb and smother other plants. It features heart-shaped leaves and produces white or pink funnel-shaped flowers. Cannabis may still be illegal for recreational purposes in the UK, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have access to a wide variety of weed products.

Field bindweed has medicinal uses as a mild laxative and as a diuretic. It is an alternate host of the potato X virus. Biology Weeds offer a valuable food source for beneficial insects while scaring off some harmful pests that don’t like the odours released from weed flowers. Weeds are healthy It has a taproot, enabling it to survive drought. It also fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it more nutrient-rich; many plants benefit from this! 9. Yellow Sweet CloverA woodland plant on limestone, the flowers of this garden ancestor symbolised a flight of doves to the medieval mind

The Canada Thistle was considered a top nectar-producer in Britain in 2016. The plant’s pleasant scent attracts an abundance of pollinators and florivores. 48. Musk Thistle Unlike grassy weeds, broadleaf weeds boast leaves that are wider rather than long. These bladelike leaves have a primary vein from which other, smaller veins emerge. As such, you can easily identify them because they look nothing like grass. Notes: A herb that typically grows in garden lawns. This daisy relative shares a striking resemblance to the dandelion, and the two species are often confused. It’s important to distinguish between various weed types both because it helps identify these weeds, as well as understand how to control them. Grassy WeedsWeedkillers for gardeners (Adobe Acrobat pdf document outlining weedkillers available to gardeners; see section 4) Links