Weeding out every gardener's nightmare

Weeds! They compete with cultivated plants for food, water and growing space, harbour pests and diseases and regenerate in various ways In short, depending on the type they can become a gardener's nightmare. But what exactly do we mean by "weed"?

- BY TOM PATTINSON

The Concise Oxford Dictionary weighs in with: “A wild herb growing where it is not wanted”.

Aquilegia (ladies bonnets), digitalis (foxglove), Mecanopsis cambrica (Welsh poppy), arum (cuckoo pint), cytisus (broom), and viola (heartsease) emanate from seed.

They all, except digitalis and heartsease, form a taproot, occasionally in the middle of a favourite herbaceous perennial and are not easily removed.

We are occasionally attracted to slightly unusual or offbeat plants without realising their true nature and come to regret the hasty purchase.