The Wonder of Weeds

Tamsin Westhorpe is determined to find the good in some of our common weeds. 

HAVING recently read a book called Wonderful Weeds by Madeline Harley, I have a new-found interest in these ‘nuisance’ plants. The truth is that native weeds bring so much to our plots, and if you investigate them you’ll fi nd that even the ones we curse the most off er a few benefi ts. The main advantage of weeds is undeniably that they off er wonderfully enchanting fl owers that attract benefi cial insects to the garden. There are many native wildfl owers that are rare and should be welcomed and valued by us all, and there are also many ornamentals that have become weeds that still hold value. Our native weeds play a vital role in the ecology of our wonderful countryside. Most gardeners are very happy to welcome wildfl owers such as the cowslip (Primula veris) and I love to see daisies (Bellis perennis) in the lawn. Not all these weeds are a threat to our gardening prowess and some are a real treat.

Food for thought 

I’m not for one moment suggesting that you encourage weeds, native or otherwise, but if you’re fi ghting a constant battle you may as well look for the good in your opponent. Living in rural Herefordshire, I’m surrounded by wild plants and they enhance my life in many ways. As a keeper of chickens, I’m all in favour of the common chickweed (Stellaria media). This annual plant seeds readily and my chickens adore a fi stful in their run. The plentiful seeds provide a feast for small garden birds as well, and if you have a budgerigar it will thank you for a few sprigs. Those planning to nurture a clump of nettles to attract butterfl ies must remain steadfast and keep the clump restricted. Let it run out of control and you’ll be in danger of losing your garden to its greedy grasp. However, it will be a magnet to red admirals and tortoiseshell butterflies.

If you’re looking to live off the land, then the culinary benefi ts of nettles will appeal. This weed is often used to make tea and soup. Many gardeners use nettles to make a plant feed. After cutting up the leaves into small pieces and submerging them under water for four weeks it can be diluted and fed to your plants. But be warned – this mixture can pong a bit! Looking out of my kitchen window over a bed littered with ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria) it’s hard to fi nd any good in this invasive plant. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. However, the foliage can be cooked when young and it tastes like a very bitter spinach. It was grown in the Middle Ages as a food crop, but I’d have a job to eat through all mine! Joking aside, there are many medicinal and edible qualities to weeds. However, identification can be tricky, so I would avoid using them for this purpose unless you are with a qualified herbalist or experienced forager.

Soil stabilisers 

While few people would welcome couch grass into their plot, weeds with rhizomes can be thanked for stabilising steep banks. In fact, a whole army of weeds can be praised for preventing soil erosion. Pet lovers will be interested to know that it is couch grass that your cat or dog will seek out to chew on when they wish to be sick – and some might see this as a benefit! As weeds die down they add goodness to the soil and some, such as white clover (Trifolium repens), fix nitrogen. Another weed that is used to great effect as a green manure is Phacelia tanacerifolia. It’s attractive purple flowers will bring in the bees, but if using as a green manure it should be cut back and dug in before flowering. Let’s raise a glass of dandelion wine to the positives that our garden weeds can offer, and promise to try to look at them in a more positive light.

Field forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis)  

This native low-growing annual is  welcome in most cottage gardens.  Favoured for its blue flowers that can be  seen from April through October. Looks  great growing under roses and thrives in  most soil. Easy to weed out by hand

Red Campion (Silene dioica) 

A stunning biennial (often grows as a perennial) that flowers from May to July. Perfect for dappled shade. It can be dug into the soil as a green manure. Height up to 2ft (60cm). Roots were once used as a ‘soap’ for washing clothes

Dock (Rumex obtusifolius) 

We all know the pain of a nettle sting. To reduce the sting, rub the area with a dock leaf. It’s worth having a clump that’s well controlled out of sight in the garden for this reason only! This plant has a tap root so is hard to control

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) 

This robust and often rampant perennial weed deserves a mention as it offers some of the most nutritious leaves you can eat, and the flowers are used to make dandelion wine. The vitamin-packed leaves are very bitter

Nettle (Urtica dioica) 

A native perennial that can reach about 3ft (1m) in height. Young leaves are used to make soup, and if chopped and submerged in water the leaves also make a wonderful organic plant feed. Great for attracting butterflies

Common vetch (Vicia sativa) 

An attractive weed that will scramble through other plants. Ideal as a green manure as the roots are excellent nitrogen fixers. Dig in before it gets a chance to flower and set seed. In the past, farmers would feed it to the horses

sources: Amateur gardening, June 2018

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