This guide on the role of weeds is a great starting point for those wishing to garden with an open mind towards our native flora.
John Walker nails his colours to the mast in the introduction to the new edition of his book, originally published ten years ago: ‘Residues of weedkillers sold in garden centres and supermarkets are now routinely found in our food… and their pollution is affecting soils and aquatic ecosystems globally.’ To those who balk at the sometimes slow and painful processes involved in organic weed control, Walker’s response is that proper gardening can’t be rushed, and that age-old techniques should still apply in spite of the hectic pace of modern life.
This is a contentious area, and if this book is not to preach solely to the converted, it should perhaps have done more to substantiate the charges against the specific herbicides likely to be used by gardeners in the UK. Some may be swept along by the assumption that ‘synthetic chemicals’ are necessarily bad for the environment and that their use is somehow propped up by sinister vested interests. However, many pragmatic gardeners and ecologists would feel bereft if glyphosate were withdrawn, for example. This is not to say that there isn’t an argument for such a step; but it would be good to hear what it was, or at least be pointed in the right direction.
Believers and sceptics will nevertheless find much of interest in this little handbook. The author is thankfully a pluralist when it comes to the weeds themselves and finds much to be celebrated and admired in even the most pernicious. Weed control is not a straightforward activity and requires a flexible approach. Accordingly, Walker makes it his mission to foster an understanding of weed species’ ecology, habits and aesthetic appeal, exemplifying the maxim that ‘a weed is just a plant in the wrong place’.