What is this in my flower bed?

[GameOfJones]

This is growing throughout one of my borders. Does anyone have any idea what it is please?

It's a weed, creeping buttercup. You'll need to get as much of the root out as possible.

Does it have roots that run and join up? Could be buttercup ?

Looks like creeping buttercup to me too. I dug up a load of it yesterday. It wasn't obvious on each plant as they came up that it was the creeping kind, but I did find a few runner roots. I suspect that they shrivel away once they've deposited a new plant and the original one send out another while the new plant does the same. It's fairly easy to dig up but does need to be tackled sooner rather than later if you want to be rid of it

It does have medium depth roots that means you will need to dig it rather than just pulling it. I think if you pull it it will regrow from broken leftover roots.

Thank you all, I'll get digging!

Hi, I’m a horticulturist- Taking a different perspective, it’s a lovely ground cover and if you like the frilly leaves and flowers, why not leave it, live with it and learn to love it? The insects and bugs visiting your garden will. It can be managed so it doesn’t invade and take over but it’s a natural spiller - beds levels: a thriller, fillers and spillers. The soil needs a ground cover so you could go for it and learn to love weeds. Dandelions provide an early source of nectar for bees coming out of hibernation for example.

I leave it in my garden too.

It’s very pretty though: I would leave it too.

I don't mind the odd buttercup but like to keep it under control.

I leave it in my lawn but remove it from the flowerbeds as I know bugs and bees love them. Maybe a good compromise OP?

I remember picking them as a child to put under chins to see if the person liked butter 😂

I'm a horticulturalist as well, and very keen on giving wildlife and native plants the opportunity to live in my garden.

But you have to draw the line somewhere, and that stuff is a pain in the neck. If it finds the conditions in your garden to its liking, you will never get rid of it. The runners spread into your lawn too. The flowers are not enough of a redeeming feature to want to keep any.

It won’t regrow from roots but it will regrow from crowns (the bit where all the leaves come from).

I love having buttercups/celandines/daisies/speedwell/selfheal in the lawn but I draw the line at dandelions as the leaves are so large they kill everything else off around them, they spread very fast and i think they're ugly. I have lots of lungwort though as that is an alternative early source of nectar.

Personally I'd keep the buttercups in the border as good ground cover. Certainly better than the ground elder I have 😭.

I leave the butttercups in the border, but have to be quite harsh on he violets otherwise they take over

Hi fellow horti :) Yes we get to draw the line in our own gardens but so important for the OP to hear different perspectives so she can choose where her heart lies. I don’t draw the line at creeping buttercup, you do, she can choose from an informed position - All good :)

@MereDintofPandiculation thanks - that's useful info and makes me feel more confident that I can eradicate it from my veg beds where it's run wild over here winter 😂

As previous posters have said , you can decide which wild plants / weeds you tolerate or encourage in your own garden. Sometimes it takes a few seasons to see how they grow on your site, and how you feel about a particular plant's pros and cons before you can make your informed choice.

I let lesser celandine grow in my borders but I know other people for whom it runs rampant. I have friends who won't grow lemon balm as it spreads everywhere but it doesn't for me 😊. I personally don't value buttercup in my borders but it's good for my wildlife area.

Hmm thank you everyone. I appreciate the different perspectives! I dug about half of it out but have left some and I may give it a chance as I'm trying to get more ground cover anyway! I figured that was the compromise for today and I'll see how we go 😁

This is completely taking over my lawn. Have you got any tips for getting rid of it? Thanks.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/lawn-and-mini-meadow-habitats

You may want to consider this

Yup. The bane of my allotment!

@GameOfJones thanks for the update and good luck with your gardening :) off to enjoy mine this evening!