The bane of my life in the garden now

[Catname]

Sycamore seedlings. Thousands of them!

I’ve only tackled the ones in the flowerbeds but I’ve pulled out loads, and then I go back the next day and there are more, and more, and more. They are quite easy to pull out when it’s just the seed leaves but once they develop the first proper leaf, they get such a hold, and I’m doing it by hand as I want to see which of my lovely plants has self seeded (as I cannot grow anything from seed myself it would seem). I’m concerned that the ones in the lawn will get a good hold before it’s dry enough to cut the grass and then I’ll have a forest 🥴

Does anyone else have a plant they despise as much as I do sycamores?

Ah, interesting about ants and three cornered leeks, @ComradeIcakethereforeIam , I wondered how they'd spread so far from the hedge bottom. I carefully nurtured one of the bastards when it lurked in my garden pretending to be my treasured new agapanthus. Then the unmistakable smell gave it away. It took a lot of digging to remove it.
And don't get me started on dandelions that manage to root themselves under clumps of newly emerging perennials and spread their great big leaves out and sit there smirking......I need to lie down in a darkened room!

Bind weed is starting to spring up all over the place. It's looking very strong, not thin & weedy like new shoots usually are.

Argh, @longtompot I'd just started to calm down. I'd forgotten about bindweed, I've only found a couple of feeble shoots so far. Last year mine managed to go from invisible to wrapped around a thorny rose stem in the time it took me to drink a cup of tea.
It's hard not to take it personally.
They're out there now, plotting....

I've seen Bindweed trained up pyramids in Kew Gardens. Presumably they treat it with a systemic weedkiller in the hope of preventing it spreading. Might be worth trying if you're desperate.

I have three sycamores, lesser celandine and a lot of bluebells. I don't mind those.

I do dislike oxalis, herb Robert, mind your own business and creeping buttercup. They all sit in the gravel and just make it look awful.

I was thinking about planting the gravel with a competitor plant like creeping thyme because picking these plants out of gravel is the absolute pits.

@MereDintofPandiculation these are my 'umbrella plant' weeds. I am curious to know their real name! It is probably something really common. I had a job finding any left in the garden to photograph as I'd done such an effective blitz last year. They don't actually look much like umbrellas but the leaves are crimped and look a little but like a tiny umbrella blown inside out by the wind. The root is like a very hard large nut with very long determined roots coming out of it. Hate 'em.

Oh, that’s Alchemilla mollis! People pay good money for those

Alchemilla or ladies' mantle. Its lovely. Just bought a couple more for a new bed. Spreads well and has a lovely froth of lime green flowers. Dont dig it up

You clearly don't live in one of the areas where this spreads like wildfire. If you did, you would never have had to buy a couple more for a new bed.

Acanthus (aka bears breeches). We've dug it up, nuked it, sworn at it... and it's coming up everywhere.

One of the first plants I bought for my first garden circa 1990 was Alchemilla Mollis and it was expensive at £4.95. I have easily had a thousand seedlings from it but I quite like its velvety leaves and how raindrops collect on it. It has worthy opponents in the self seeding stakes in my flower beds in both Viola Labradorica and Claytonia Sibirica.

I love Ladies mantle and it’s another one that I’ve tried to grow many times in my garden. It won’t take. Yet it’s everywhere in my Mum’s.

Herb Robert and rosebay willow herb seedlings absolutely everywhere. Don’t mind the mares tail. I like that it’s prehistoric. Dead nettles won’t go away tho. Can’t get rid of them at all. I appear to also joe have some kind of buttercup taking over my pond. Forgetmenots also seek to spread like crazy.

In order of badness, its herb Robert, rosebay willow herb and dead nettles.

I love Alchemilla Mollis. It’s a great cut flower too. I seem to be plagued with herb Robert already this year.

A lot of these are pretty flowers, I love honesty and have loads of it in the front and back garden. In a couple of weeks it will look beautiful.

My only gardening regret is mint, I had some in a pot that escaped and it has sent runners off all over the shop 🤦‍♀️

Mares tail was around when dinosaurs walked the earth 🤷‍♀️

😂😂😂Some people think weeds are flowers and I am the crazy person who thinks an actual flower is a weed. It gets everywhere, I mean everywhere. All over the flower beds, in the lawn, between paving stones with its deep nutty potatoey grasping roots. Having trouble trying to think of it as a non-weed. You are all welcome to come and dig some up from my garden. 🌿

I had the joyous task of removing a hebe yesterday. The previous owners were serious gardeners and planted 2 at the top of the steps to frame the entrance to the garden. One took over the entire top step and made it impossible to access the lawn so it had to go. I am replacing with a small patio and some potted plants as I have a large acer to provide the only shade in the garden.

The roots were enormous and it took 2 days to remove 😡. I didn’t know it was a hebe. We called it the wasp bush. I am going to plant some nice bee friendly flowers elsewhere though!

This will amuse you - approached by a woman yesterday while gardening. I have a big garden to the front of the house.

Woman "hi, I like the yellow flower, what is it?"

Me "it's lesser celandine. It's a weed".

Woman "I think it's lovely"

Me "well it spreads, which is why I have so much. Good for the bees but invasive. I can't get rid of it"

Woman "could I have one plant? I really like it"

I gave her ONE pot of this evil plant.

You can buy named varieties of celandine , for example Brazen Hussy

I have Brazen Hussy at the bottom of the garden. I saw it in drifts at Wallington a couple of years ago and thought it was lovely. It’s started flowering this week and will be competing with the Gallium Odoratum as it is marching through the border (with loads of sycamore seedlings very well camouflaged).

I have Brazen Hussy too. Does it spread ? I would love it if it did !

Our back garden is fully, and I mean fully, concreted (bananas previous owners, too much to do inside to dig it all up this year so everything’s in pots for now )

Wanna know what IS growing through it though, in multitudes? Sycamores

Maybe I’ll leave them and they can heave the concrete up themselves

@SirVixofVixHall I've only had mine in a short time but it’s a more defined clump than last year. When I saw them at Wallington, there were loads but I think there had been a concerted planting of spring flowers so maybe the National Trust just lots of plants.

@cimena Once their roots get a hold, they are much more difficult to remove. I’ve had 4 inch seedlings that have nearly cut my fingers when I’ve tried to pull them out by hand. Growing through concrete - that’s quite impressive! We have a block drive and they love to pop up there, but mostly they come up in the flowerbeds and spread over a few weeks so I’m being vigilant (but will still miss some).

ilovesushi I hate these little feckers. Every year I think I've gotten them all out but they keep coming back 🙄

I have planted two small patches of wild garlic down the bottom of the garden and am waiting for them to spread. We eat masses of the stuff when it's in season, so I'm keen to not have to trek to a nearby wood to get it.

The sycamore seedlings are particularly evident this year. I just run the mower over them.