is this persistent weed something to worry about?

[storybrooke]

Does anybody know what this is? Seems to sprout up fast and has thick roots which have come through a weed sheet. It was once a rockery and being dug out completely over the next couple of days but removing all the roots isn't proving easy!

Any advice would be appreciated

[bookbook]

Could it be rosebay willowherb? Cant quite see if the leaves spiral up the stem?

[storybrooke]

I wouldn't say they spiral, they don't seem to flower either (they were there last year as well). I've discovered some pretty flowers I loved last year are actually weeds too. I should stop whilst I'm behind

Google isn't being very helpful so I'll just chalk it down to the weed sheet being old and relay it before planting.

[HaveYouSeenHerLately]

Oh I get loads of that! I think it is rosebay willowherb.

Mine can be pulled up from the root relatively easily, especially after it's rained. I turn my back and 20 more have sprouted grr

[HarrietSchulenberg]

I think I have these. I don't know what they are but they're persistant buggers. I've cleared the front garden (tiny) by hoiking them out as soon as they appear, and now they are gone. The back garden is proving more of a challenge.

[Haggisfish]

I think it's rosebay willow herb. Loads of seeds produced, hence loads of plants.

[Pipbin]

Favourite food of the elephant hawk moth if memory serves. Lovely caterpillar and beautiful moth.

[storybrooke]

May well be then, they have a huge white root and I'll dig out a section and the next day they'll be another 20 quite happily growing!

[Ferguson]

They will only grow from seed, and don't 'run', and should pull out very easily, especially if you get them when small. They will have pink flowers if they mature, and feathery seeds that will blow around if you leave them too late.

[shovetheholly]

Yep, it's something in the willowherb family - nothing to worry about. Thriving courtesy of our really damp winters! My garden is full of the stuff - you just have to keep pulling it out and try not to let it seed.

[weirdsister]

I get loads of that as well. It pulls up really easily I agree.

[storybrooke]

Thank you everyone. Looks like I've been worrying over the wrong thing though. Been digging it the entire patch and removing all these roots and huge canes growing under the soil. Got to the end and lo and behold I'm pretty sure it's bastarding bamboo.

It's all about 10-11ft next door and I've cut down huge shoots on our side but they're really deep so will have to dig further tomorrow. And theres more under the soil. Gah. Trying to keep that under control will be fun.

[FlopIsMyParentingGuru]

Try sinking some kind of physical barrier between your garden and next doors below the ground.

[storybrooke]

I'm thinking a paving slab as a barrier, will have a look in the garden centre in the morning and see if they have anything suitable.

[FlopIsMyParentingGuru]

I've heard people suggest using the metal edging that people put on the edge of lawns abs just dropped vertically into the ground but I'm not sure it would go deep enough to stop the roots.

[shovetheholly]

No, there's no way that would go deep enough! As you've probably seen, those roots can run a long way beneath the surface. I think the confusion is probably because you leave a few inches of the barrier above the surface, and it looks very much like the metal edging used for lawns. However, beneath the surface there is another 28-30 INCHES of material! If you scroll down to 'installing an open-sided barrier' on this site, there's a picture of a fella standing in the kind of trench you need to dig.

www.bamboogarden.com/barrier%20installation.htm

[storybrooke]

Thank you shove I'll have a read of that. The roots really are pretty deep, it's proving really hard to dig out actually.