Stop and think before you kill weeds

WEEDS. Some call them a flower growing in the wrong place.

- Charmian Evans

Others become vicious when they see a dandelion among their favourite plants.

Some people use weedkiller, regardless of the terrible damage it does to the environment or to themselves. Others use mixtures of salt, white vinegar, washing up liquid and a drop of water to kill weeds which is kinder to everything unless you happen to be a weed.

Here you can see my mother-in-law setting an example to us all. Recently she spent four hours weeding in front of her house. She did this without a break and she's 102! So shame on those of you who revert to the Roundup sprays.

Weeds aren't all bad. In fact some are all good. Ground elder is the bane of gardener's lives. We can blame the Romans for that. They brought it over to the UK and valued it as a food and medicinal treatment. Apparently they used it to feed their troops because of its nutrition. They also used it to treat gout and rheumatism and other ailments. By the way, "ailments" comes from the French aoli or garlic and was taken into battle to treat wounds.

My granny ate ground elder, cooked or raw, and swore by it. It certainly did her no harm. She bought herself a bike in her 70s to cycle round the hills of Brighton. So there you go, make yourself a brew or a soup and get a new lease of life!

Got a minor sting or bite? Rub fresh sage leaves on the area. It also repels other insects. If you've got mouth ulcers or gum problems, infuse some sage leaves in hot water and use it as a mouthwash.