Identifying Weeds - An Easy Guide to Some Common OnesWeeding is one of those perennial tasks which does not go away - even if your garden is run according to the best management principles. Identifying weeds correctly is therefore a must. Some also happen to look a bit like common garden plants! What's here?On this page I will display pictures of some of the commonest monsters which afflict the home gardener in this corner of the world (the UK). Many of these are also found in other countries and climates. Some of our most intractable weeds now come from outside the UK and doubtless we have exported some too. This brief guide to identifying weeds is mainly visual but I include some notes on how best to deal with them. They are in alphabetical order. Click here to go straight to identifying weeds! First here are a few notes on how best to prevent and minimise weeds. Identifying weeds: Reduce, recycle!The best way to deal with weeds is not to have (m)any! Simple eh? No, I'm not recommending you pave your garden, just mentioning some of the best ways of reducing your weeds by eco-friendly means. You are never going to reach the nirvana of a completely weed-free garden. But there are some ways you can cut down weeding time and effort without resorting to chemicals. MulchingYou can reduce your weeds by mulching and by using mulch mats or weed fabric. Mulching is the process whereby you spread compost or other organic matter on the soil around plants. You can suppress a lot of weed growth this way, especially if you use compost which is really free of weed seeds. If you need to plant new plants you just plant through the mulch. You can buy compost suitable for mulching in garden centres. There are other products which may be suitable too. Some plants do not mind a layer of chipped bark around them. This tends to suit larger, more established plants. You get the best results if you use a planting membrane underneath the chipped bark. This preserves the bark chippings for longer and stops weeds coming through. Other plants may do well with scattered gravel or shingle. This approach is more suitable for dry areas with plants which conserve moisture well. You can also buy light-weight mulch matting which is specially designed to act as a weed suppressant while letting moisture in. This is especially suitable for vegetable growing areas and soft fruits. You can cover it over with top soil or other materials so that you don't have to look at ugly black plastic. You can also use well-chosen plants to suppress and out-compete other plants. Tagetes, for example are brilliant companion plants and they also help deter difficult weeds such as couch grass and ground ivy. Don't expect instant results, though! Composting difficult weedsDon't forget you can also recycle your weeds for the most part by composting them or by using them to build green banks in your garden. But most simple grasses and annual wildflowers can just go in the compost bin, especially if you can make compost which kills seeds. If you have a lot of dock, ground elder or couch grass to deal with, it is possible to recycle them effectively as compost. Wrap them in a large sheet of black plastic until they break down. You have to be really vigilant with these invasive weeds; small chopped up pieces of root will very often sprout into life and soon become big and bossy. For smaller amounts just put them into an ordinary strong black bin bag, exclude all light and leave them for up to a year. After that you can add the contents to the compost bin or straight back onto the soil. Alternatively, you can take no chances and just burn them - but this is only practical for small numbers of weeds. You can make weeds sweat and disintegrate in a plastic bag if you leave them out in the sun. For best results use a black plastic bag to help absorb the suns rays. Wait until the interior is like a soup before adding it to the compost heap. Natural weed killer?Can you buy organic weed killer which is really harmless to the environment? I've not found any so far but I probably have not yet looked very hard. Vinegar has a reputation for killing weeds if applied neat. You can also use salt as a natural weed killer but be careful not to do this too much as salt is destructive of many soil organisms and you could kill more than you intended.This is just a very brief introduction to a rather large subject. On to the weeds! Common weeds I'm sure no-one has any real difficulty in recognising brambles - the plant from which blackberries grow. In the spring I will photograph the seedling plant which can look quite innocent. Even, so they still have baby prickles as part of the young plant, so they can deliver an unpleasant scratch. Bryony: an attractive but very poisonous climbing plant which grows exceptionally fast in spring. The flowers are a pale green with white petals. Notice the curly tendrils which cling onto other plants. This is one which is climbing a flowering redcurrant.
White bryony (Bryonia alba)is considered an invasive weed in the US. It certainly grows prolifically. Black bryony (Tamus communis) is prevalent in southern counties of England and is also poisonous. The leaves are more heart-shaped. The fruits of Bryony go from pale green to bright red. They are very poisonous, so this is one to be fierce with if you have small children playing in the garden. It has beautiful curling tendrils like tightly coiled springs. Identifying weeds such as bryony is easy once the plant is big and has berries. The young plant is distinctive in the early spring - I'll post pictures then.
Buttercup: sends runners out so it can be a persistent and rather choking threat top other plants. Dig it out carefully with a trowel, or hoe away in dry weather.  Buttercup leaves are quite distinctive. In this photo they should look about life-sized. I'm sure the pretty yellow flower needs no introduction! Campion:
Identifying weeds - picture, right: white campion looks quite attractive in the flower bed but it has a sprawling habit which makes it less desirable. Here it is growing with pink larkspur. Clover: good green manure but can be a pest if unchecked. Hoe away in dry weather. There are several different common varieties but they all have the distinctive leaf shape.  Convolvulus: This plant has deep and persistent roots. Double trench digging is supposed to be of some use but as the roots may stretch down metres into the soil, it is very difficult to completely eradicate it. Pull whenever you see it. If left unchecked it will climb up your plants and soon dominate them. Heavy mulches and weed mats are some help.  Picture, top: convolvulus starts as a low, creeping plant but it soon starts climbing up everything available.
Identifying weeds - picture, bottom: the larger species of convolvulus has large, showy white flowers. The small one usually seen in gardens is often pink or pink and white striped. The flowers are attractive but this plant is a garden menace! Couch grass:
 A deep-rooted and difficult member of the grass family. Snapped off pieces of root easily sprout new plants. Careful working of the soil, digging each clump out with a fork and rake is probably the best strategy. Above ground, the grass looks much like any other. Below ground the stringy runners soon spread out and new plants appear from them. Identifying weeds that are this much trouble and so common is a must! Dandelion:  Identifying weeds - picture: Dandelion leaves have a characteristic serrated look which is hard to miss. Some of the very young leaves can be smooth. Great in salads but there is a limit to how much you want in your beds! Use a special dandelion tool or a long narrow trowel to dig out the root. Snapped roots easily re-grow. Dead nettle: pulls fairly easily by hand. Dock: deep roots make this a persistent and tricky weed to eradicate. Don't let it seed and use a trowel or spade to get the whole root if possible. Gallant soldier:  Picture: gallant soldier has small pretty white and yellow flowers This American import can be pulled by hand, though parts often snap off. Easy to hoe. It can get to be quite large - over a foot tall. Ground Elder: hopelessly pernicious. If you haven't got it anywhere in your garden inspect incoming plants carefully before you allow them in your soil! One of the hardest weeds to eradicate. Groundsel:  Groundsel pulls easily by hand. Don't let it seed. Herb Robert and other small geranium family weeds are easy to pull. Herb Robert can get quite big if left unchecked. Mallow:
They have deep tap roots which may need digging out. Lovely if you can keep them in the hedgerow. Mallow is used in soup in the Middle East. The leaves are glutinous, so they add body. If you try this, use the young leaves. Picture, right: Mallow has a pretty flower with striking deep pink stripes. The plant soon becomes large and woody. Nettles:
This one needs no introduction, I'm sure! Nettles are a sign of good fertility but annoyingly persistent with travelling rootlets so they spring up in new places. They pull fairly easily by hand (gloved, of course!) If they are travelling in from a neighbours patch a physical barrier such as slates buried in the soil a few inches deep will help. The smaller annual nettle is easy to pull and does not throw out suckers. Drown them in a bucket of water for a useful fertility aid for the garden. This will get a bit smelly after a few weeks but at least the nettles will be harmless. Water your plants with the "juice" diluted in more water. Plantain: Plantain is common in grassland and there are several common varieties, some quite big. Easy to pull or hoe when small.  Picture, above: Plantain have broad or narrow leaves with prominent veins. Another plant for the salad box - though I can't say I rate them. Poppy:  Picture, above: poppies are colourful but sprawl and out-compete other plants. Sow thistle: easy to pull. Don't let it seed. Rabbits love it.  Picture, above: sow thistle seeds, ready to blow onto the garden! Thistle: thistles come in many varieties. The worst are large bossy and deep rooted. Pull vertically from directly above. If the root snaps, dig it out. Don't let this one seed! Yarrow or Achillea: a useful and pretty weed which is often sold in garden centres. The wild variety is usually white though sometimes you see pink ones. A bit tough to pull when fully grown.  Picture, above: yarrow with other weeds Sad to say, but most of the pictures for this page on identifying weeds were taken in my garden and allotment on one afternoon! If you want to become adept at identifying weeds a good guide with clear pictures is invaluable. Return from Identifying weeds back to Green Garden
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Red or white campion may take up residence in country gardens. It's attractive but rather sprawling in habit. It's fairly easy to check by pulling or hoeing.
