How to beat this weed?
elfrider
Posts: 2
Hi all. I'm firstly looking to identify this weed as there are tons of them at the bottom end of my garden and it looks a mess. Can anyone also tell me the most effective method to remove them and prevent them from coming back? I'm a novice by the way so please keep it simple for me
. Thanks in advance.
0
Posts
Hard to tell from this distance whether that's foxgloves or something from the borage family (comfrey/alkanet etc).
Can we have a closer picture or two of stems/leaves please
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As Dove said, a closer photo would help but the large leaved ones look very much like Foxgloves (a wild flower) to me which are biennial (ie they take 2 years to flower, then die) and will send up a tall flower spike next year; I would keep those:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/5862/i-Digitalis-purpurea-i/Details
Foxglove seeds will be in the soil and can last for decades so will probably keep coming back forever - if you don't want them, just dig them up when you see them appear.
I think you also have brambles (smaller serrated leaved ones with spiky stems) and those are rather invasive so should be dug up, removing all of the roots if you can:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=256
If you don't want any of these plants, dig the area over. If you don't plant anything else and leave bare soil, weeds will constantly keep appearing, so either plant things you want in the area, or you'll just have to be prepared to keep weeding it.
If they're foxgloves they'll pull up easily and be gone, though more may germinate.
It looks more like green alkanet to me. This has much deeper roots and it not removed easily but a dose of glyphosate will do it. There are plenty of growing leaves there now. Glyphosate works on strongly growing leaves. At this time of year it takes a long time to show effects but works well.
In the sticks near Peterborough
The leaves do look a little shiny for foxgloves. I get a good sprinkling around and just replant to where I want them.
Thanks for the replies. Here are some more detailed photos:
I'd go out there tomorrow and dig one up. Take a pic of the roots and we'll know if you've got a biennial foxglove or a perennial weed
In the sticks near Peterborough