New Poll! What is your worst weed?

[Lisamcflisa]

of the ones on the list I had to tick nettles but my front garden is inundated with ground elder, awful stuff, pops up all over the place..
our friends asked if we were turning the garden into a living room as we've covered it in old carpet, see if that works, fingers crossed

[northepaul]

Couch Grass full stop!

The worst weed in the world! Grrrr

[Potstubsdustbins]

None actually. As I grow solely in containers I have very little problems with weeds.

Some of the containers have a top covering of 1/4" gravel which as well as saving on water stops weeds taking root. Some are planted in a crowded way which as well as increasing my crop also helps with weed control. The rest I clear the weed seedlings as I walk round the garden so they never have chance to take hold.

Colin

[WendyC]

I count my self really lucky that I don't have any of the real horrors Japanese Knot Weed, Horsetail but bindweed is named correctly as it is a real bind. When I moved plot a year ago there was a lot of chickweed, couch grass and bindweed. The chickweed grew well this "summer" but was easy to hoe or weed out, the couch grass seems to have beaten a retreat after careful digging but the bindweed just creeps everywhere. I pile it up on top of the water butt under a brick til it is shriveled and dead and only then does it go near the compost bin.

[legume]

I find thistles are the worst problem - there is a field next door to the plots with hundreds of thistles growing wild, and when the seed blows around on a windy day...guess what gaily pops up in the beds a couple of weeks later? Next to that, docks and wild cow parsley - the roots are terrible to dig out.

[madpiano]

Bindweed, hands down|! It keeps getting tangled into my roses and although they don't seem to mind, it is a Pita to try end remove it without the roses fighting back! I hate the stuff. My neighbour and me are fighting every year, but with last year's endless rain we gave up in the end and enjoyed the rather pretty flowers. I call it the bottle-blonde variety of Morning Glory.
I have been trying to grow chickweed, but have had no success. I make my own cosmetics and really, really need it, but it just will not grow in my garden, apart from the spot that the cat uses for his toilet, and I am not going to throw THAT into a lotion or cream!
I have also been trying to find creeping buttercup, as it would look nice under the pear tree, where nothing else grows (apart from Bindweed), but no luck yet, maybe our soil round here is too bad for it.
I am not a big fan of Brambles in the garden, mostly as they grow very fast and hurt when I try and remove them, but I do love Blackberries, so I am not fussed about them - prefer them in the country park though.
I don't mind Dandelion, Hock or couch grass. Dandelion is edible and pretty, hock is useful and I just rip out the couch grass (yeah, I never get the root and it will come back, but it's ok). I am glad my neighbours aren't big gardeners though, as between the perennials, all I do is grow weeds in the flower beds!! I am a terrible gardener and hate spraying, checking for bugs and watering the garden. All weeds grow without any fuss. I have loads of Foxgloves in the flower bed. As they are biennial, I didn't have that many last year (only 3 actually), but the flower bed was full of Buttercups and later Chamomile showed up. Both pretty and the bees were happy. I am expecting the Foxgloves will be back this year, they pretty much crowd everything else out, so I am really not that worried about smaller weeds. And they are tough, pretty and large. Shame they don't kill Bindweed, it actually grows on them....grrr.... The only other plants in my border are Roses and a Tree Peony, neither of those mind the weeds.
Thistles....yeah, I do hate them, they are mean, although quite pretty. Thankfully in the 4 years I lived here, only one ever showed up, and it was removed pronto.
One thing I do have growing like a weed in the garden is Violets though. They are pretty persistent and show up everywhere! They even ignore Roundup. (I desperately tried to keep the patio weed free) - so I caved in and decided they won that battle - they now get free reign to grow wherever they want.