DEAL WITH UPSTART WEEDS

IN MUCH of Britain, drought halted all plant growth. Now that most of us have had rain, weeds have returned as the latest headache. Those need dealing with now, while they’re still young and vulnerable. Seedlings which are greening bare soil should be easy to hoe out. If you do that on a bright day, most will shrivel in the sunlight. Plants such as chickweed are quick to take root again, so rake those off or be ready to hoe the area several times. Weed seedlings are tiny but fast-growing. The speediest — hairy bittercress — can germinate, flower and seed in just a few weeks. So bear down on those, hoeing or rubbing out seedlings wherever you see them.