From the creeping menace of bindweed to the barbed villainy of brambles, weeds have long been regarded as the gardener’s nemesis. Invading lawns and wreaking havoc in borders, they can be an endless source of strife and exasperation, not to mention backache. But are weeds really an enemy, to be fought with hoes and herbicides, or are they just misunderstood? Would you be better off simply admiring them from your hammock? Thanks to new planting trends, it appears that the one-time scourge of gardeners is having a rebrand. And about time, too.
Weeds are often a vital food source for our struggling wildlife, and in recent years, as we’ve gained a greater understanding of the urgency of species decline, the vogue for insect-friendly, wildflower planting has seen a steady increase. But…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2019