Send the aliens packing but leave native weeds well alone – they are your friends
ALIEN plants should not be confused with native flora.
Guy Barter, of the Royal Horticultural Society, says thistles and nettles are often viewed as enemies when they are actually friends.
Nettles have traditionally helped us treat a variety of ailments, from urinary infection to rheumatic joint pain.
Thistles offer a great source of food for butterflies and small birds, and also have medicinal qualities that can prove beneficial for the liver. Unlike many non-native evasive species, indigenous weeds are kept in check by other British plants.
Gardener Henry Macaulay believes socalled weeds – such as dandelions, daisies and other grasses – should be allowed to mix in with a perfect lawn to provide variety as they help insects and birds. Remove them and you harm the eco-system.
Barter says: ‘The technical definition of a weed is a plant growing where it is not wanted.
‘If you like the look of a native plant, keep it in your flower bed.’