Help with weed ridden garden

[IwouldifIcouldreachit]

When I moved into my house a few years ago, the lawn was tatty and thin, but not dreadful. That summer, next door did a big garden makeover. They put in a big tree which is huge now and overshadows my garden almost completely and I've now got a huge bald patch on my lawn, presumably due to roots taking water from the grass. But my biggest issue is these bastards arrived! (Am uploading pic...) Huge green weeds with very long, white carrot like roots and blue flowers. They are EVERYWHERE and I cannot seem to eradicate them. I've had a company in to put killer stuff, I weed, I try not to mow until I've weeded so as not to chop roots and spread. But one nice day and boom! 3 foot high and spreading. Does anyone have any ideas, please?!

That's green alkanet and it does spread like wildfire! I have it in my garden and I just have to pounce on it before it has a chance to grow. If you can dig out the roots that would be the best idea, otherwise just hoik it out as best you can while it's still small. That'll weaken it eventually. It makes very good compost or home made plant food, a bit like comfrey.

Is that your lawn? If you keep mowing regularly thwy will soon die off.

Don’t let it set seed so cut back all the flowers and foliage. Dig the biggest ones out with a fork, trying to get all the roots. Strimming or mowing the smaller ones will exhaust them, so they die off. Mowing won’t chop and spread the roots.

Thank you all so much. Yes, that was a photo of my lawn. If I can't get out there every week - or more often in growing season - it's like that within days. So I spend a weekend yanking it out, but never actually getting on top of it (or the rest of the garden) properly. I appreciate all the advice - and the identification of it, makes me feel slightly less Clampett-esque! I shall follow your tips and try harder to keep it managed..

Agree it's green alkanet. Yes, the roots are horrible. Beyond the advice above - does the soil get moist under the trees in winter? They're pretty easy to remove from moist soil when they're small. You'll need to learn to recognise them at 2-4 true leaves.

It's taking me a lot of digging by hand, but I've reduced them to 2-3 plants a year when I used to have 30-40. Took about two years.

Do sow something else there if you can, perhaps some easier woodland plants like honesty. But if possible I'd ask my neighbours to reduce the tree.

The way I identify them is they look like foxgloves, but the leaves are prickly.

I let our green alkinet flower at the back of the borders because the bees love it but once they start to collapse I snap if all off. Then it grows and reflowers and the bees love it again.

Greenfinches love the seeds as well.

I agree, its a thug though and difficult to dig up !!

I can’t keep on top of my lawn anymore, the weeds are outrageously determined. I’m going to turn it into a gravel shrubbery with some winding pathway structure and shrubs that flower at different times, and a nice bench to add interest too. Very daunted, and it feels like quite a gulp moment to admit it’s now too much work. All that to say.. I recognise those beasts and I sympathise!

We have this, it’s everywhere round where I live. But strangely, it wasn’t everywhere when I lived four miles away, it’s that localised!

If has to be dug up by the root, it’s a really long tape like root, we have a special tool! The more I dig it up, the more under control it is. It’s flowering now, but it won’t be like that all season.

It’s a right pain though, as it spreads so quickly. And it really irritates the skin, it looks like a foxglove, but the underside of the leaf is t soft like a foxglove, it’s really itchy and un pleasant.

People often mistake it for borage.

It’s classed as a non native invasive weed in the UK. Fine hairs on leaves can be skin irritant so best wear gloves if digging up. I love it, but control it by strimming off any that creeps further than I want it. Don’t put it on the compost as fine pieces of root can survive the composting process and regrow. Bees adore it so not all bad