(Acer pseudoplatanus)

This was found in my garden, the seed must have blown in from the parent tree four gardens down. Sycamore seedlings pull out very easily. If allowed to grow into a tree then it is more expensive to hire tree surgeons the longer it is left, although we’re talking about a great many years. If renovating a small garden sycamores are usually not too big to cut down ones self, if the roots have grown under concrete or below a wall where it is impossible to dig them out then a herbicide should be applied to the stump, alternatively any new growth can be continuously removed until the tree is exhausted.

Daisy (Bellis perennis)

This was at the Kennels campus in the lawn, Daisy is a nice lawn weed to have compared with a lot of others as it is small, doesn’t spread too fast and has pretty flowers. So if there are only a few daisies in the lawn they can be left alone, where they do become more dominant than the grass then selective weed-killer should be used, weed and feed or another one that will attack dicotyledonous plants and not monocots

Hairy Bittercress

(Cardamine hirsuta)

This was found at the Kennels campus, in the netted tunnel. The plant pulls out easily so hand weeding is recommended on small plots. Larger areas can   be sprayed with glyphosate although it isn’t among the most invasive weeds

Fennel

This was found taking over 

at the allotment in the 

herb garden. It’s quite 

fleshy and very easy 

to uproot, so it should 

be pulled out by hand 

weeding or hoeing. 

Field Horsetail

(Equisetum arvense)

This was found at an allotment, growing through the concrete footings of the greenhouse. A new plant can grow from the tiniest piece and the roots can go very deep into bedrock, the only way to control Horsetail is to continuously pull it out until it is exhausted and dies. Chemicals can be used but treatment has to be repeated many times without any guarantee of success, so there is the opportunity to waste a lot of money and do damage to the surrounding environment.

Sun Spurge

(Euphorbia helioscopia)

This was growing at the allotment in an area that had been dug-over ready for planting things in. It pulls out very easily when this small, although Euphorbia can grow big and send out suckers so if allowed to establish it may become necessary to dig it out.

Redshank

(Polygonum persicaria)

This was found at my allotment, in the herb garden. This is fairly small, pulls out easily and if controlled regularly it won’t spread much, so hand-weeding is recommended for Redshank. It is quite pretty and so could be allowed to grow where it is not being invasive.

Creeping Buttercup

(Ranunculus repens)

This was found in the Kennels campus grounds at the edge of the lawn. Creeping buttercup can spread quickly and out-compete weaker cultivated plants. When spotted it should be pulled out before it takes hold, when it has established it’s self then chemicals might be necessary to get rid of it, spray with glyphosate.

Broad-leaved Dock

(Rumex obtusifolius)

This was found at the Kennels campus, on the proposed Rose Garden site. Dock Leaf plants should be dug out to make sure non of the root is left behind, as seedlings they can be hoed out so regular maintenance makes a big difference. Glyphosate can be used to clear a site of dock leaves among other plants before double digging.  

Elder

(Sambucus nigra)

This was found in my garden, there are two mature trees, both have grown wild but my landlord will not allow me to chop either of them down, so every year we have a lot of seedlings come up. They pull out very easily though and grow slowly, being a tree, so herbicides are not necessary. This tree has very soft wood and is easy to cut down. Outside the garden it is a good species for wildlife, large birds like pigeons eat the berries and spread the seeds smaller birds like blue tits feed on the aphids which drop sticky sap beneath, making it not very good in a garden.

Common Sow Thistle

(Sonchus oleraceus)  

This was growing at my allotment next to the greenhouse. It is a common weed but not overly invasive, regular hoeing is adequate to keep this and other weeds in check. When clearing large areas a herbicide (probably Glyphosate) might be used, especially if there are a lot of weeds like this and not much time to spend pulling them all out.

Bush Vetch

(Vicia sepium)

This was at the Kennels campus on some rough ground between the poly-tunnel and the cold greenhouse, it tends to grow into big clumps which when in flower look very nice, so where this is not in the way it ought to be left alone. It is also a good nitrogen fixer like clover so it should be left where something is planned but on hold, like the rose garden. Vetch can be hoed along with other seedlings or bigger plants can be pulled out quite easily.