3 of the most common... TROUBLESOME WEEDS

BINDWEED

This troublemaker produces thread-like vines that wrap tightly around other plants, and eventually strangles them. With its trumpet-shaped flowers, bindweed is easy to spot and, soon after the first flush of blooms, it will take over and ruin your flower beds. Start by pulling away the top growth, excavating as much of the roots as you can. Eventually, the roots will exhaust themselves trying to make more shoots. If you’re digging downwards to try and remove the roots, go deeper than you might expect. Getting rid of bindweed takes patience, willpower and several attempts to pull it up, as any root left behind in the soil will sprout again.

NETTLES

As a valuable food source for the caterpillars of a number of butterflies, including red admiral and tortoiseshell, you may wish to keep a clump of nettles in an unobtrusive corner. However, if they are swamping your garden, with the danger of causing a nasty sting there are ways to tackle them. The RHS advises preventing seeds from setting by cutting down plants in mid-summer or earlier. You can also dig out clumps or those that have grown in light soils any time of year. Nettles also cannot withstand repeated mowing.

If you want to use weedkiller, opt for a glyphosate-based variety and spray over the plants in June, before they flower.

JAPANESE KNOTWEED

It’s no secret that Japanese knotweed is one of the trickiest weeds. It grows incredibly fast – up to 10cm a day in the summer. And it shows little mercy on its surroundings, hurtling through pipes and structural foundations wherever it gets the chance. It’s no surprise that for many regions around the world, you legally have to declare its presence if selling your property. Trying to remove it yourself is no easy task – it can take years to combat it with commercial weedkiller. Even then, you can only take the waste to licensed tips. Dumping it in the countryside is a big no-no. The best way to get rid of this weed is to call in a professional.