Perennial Broad-leaved Weeds

Comments

1. Hi, is cats ear a weed? can you tell me about the factors that affect its growth? Thanks!
   

   - Marw 1---1-2006



2. Garden with ground elder,Creeping buttercup,bindweed,couch grass any suggestions on how to deal with them
   

   - Paula 7---0-2007



3. We have a weed which takes over the whole garden. It looks like Burdock but isn't that I think. It has large green leaves (bit like dock) and tiny blue flowers (quite pretty) with parsnip type roots which also send out suckers. When you try to dig it up, lots and lots of tiny seedlings cover the ground. We have been fighting it for years - with animal friendly weedkillers and just digging. What can we do?
   

   - Gay Smith 3---0-2008



4. Gay Smith, I think I have the same problem as you. A year ago I spent a day with friends and cold beer clearing the whole garden of this brute (or so we thought) but now it's back, stronger than ever. Do the leaves irritate the skin? Mine do. My mum says it's comfrey, which has incredible properties as a fertiliser - gardeners grow it on purpose so it's not found on many weed pages of books or websites.
   
   I'm on this site to try and find how to clear it without using a chemical, if there is a way - it will continue to smother everything else in its path if you just dig it. I have had some luck with a lawned area - we removed a layer of "cleared" soil, then put down a layer of topsoil before seeding with organic lawn seed. This area is now the least affected of the garden, though even here I have several big ish clumps coming back slowly.
   
   Help please! Also, any tips on how best I can take advantage of it while I have it.
   Thank you
   

   - Anna 4---0-2008



5. Anna and Gay, I'm not sure about what species of plant you've got growing, but I had a problem like yours several years ago - a virulent weed that dropped thousands of seeds when I pulled it. A neighbor suggested I place plastic shopping bags over the heads of the plants before I attempted to pull it and it worked like a charm. The bag contained most of the seeds and I was able to keep control of the few that fell to the ground and germinated.
   

   - Renee 5---0-2008



6. 2 volunteer plants with huge leaves that have large vhite veins appeared this year after removing some gravel and dirt from the area. The leaves have thorns on the circumference and have produced no flowers to date. Any ideas? Many thanks!
   

   - Lew 9---0-2008



7. what is the use of a plant identification sight if you are supposed to know the name first. Duh, don't need it in that case do you. how about pictures of leaf shapes, flower form ie spikes, colour choice etc etc AND in common english NOT botanical terms
   

   - trish fenwick 1---1-2009