United States
£ GBP
This ingenious and informative new illustrated book reveals the inside stories of more than 50 common and successful weeds, including cultivated `thugs' which gardeners plant at their peril, and presents its findings as evidence for the prosecution and defence. It then explores the ways in which the weeds are so successful, whether annual, biennial or perennial, and suggests effective ways of removing or controlling them, and for using them wisely. Where important, as with weeds such as Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam, it includes your legal obligations as a gardener to stop these most pernicious weeds from spreading.
A useful reference section tells you all you need to know about weeding tools, weedkillers, composting weeds and using mulches to stop them spreading, plus specific details on weeds in lawns and ponds and weeds and the law. So whether you're worried by groundsel or ground elder, nettles or knotweed, bamboo or brambles, or would like to encourage dandelions or clovers to grow exactly where you want them, then these are the verdicts you need.
1 Introduction 10
2 Charlock 12
3 Chickweed 14
4 Common groundsel 16
5 Fat hen 18
6 Field pennycress 20
7 Goosegrass 22
8 Hairy bittercress 24
9 Hedge mustard 26
10 Herb Robert 28
11 Himalyan balsam 30
12 Knotgrass 32
13 Prickly sow thistle 34
14 Red deadnettle 36
15 Scarlet pimpernel 38
16 Shepherd's purse 40
17 Smooth sow thistle 42
18 Spear thistle 44
19 Introduction 46
20 Blackberry 48
21 Broad leaved dock 50
22 Couch grass 52
23 Creeping buttercup 54
24 Creeping thistle 56
25 Curled dock 58
26 Daisy 60
27 Dandelion 62
28 Enchanter's nightshade 64
29 Field bindweed 66
30 Greater (or hedge) bindweed 68
31 Greater plantain 70
32 Ground elder 72
33 Horsetail 74
34 Japanese knotweed 76
35 Lesser celandine 78
36 Lesser hairy willowherb 80
37 Lords-and-ladies 82
38 Ragwort 84
39 Red clover 86
40 Slender speedwell 88
41 Stinging nettle 90
42 White clover 92
43 White deadnettle 94
44 Garden thugs 96
45 Bamboo 98
46 Borage 100
47 Butterfly Bush 102
48 Crocosmia 104
49 Grape hyacinth 106
50 Horseradish 108
51 Ivy 110
52 Japanese anemone 112
53 Jerusalem artichoke 114
54 Lemon balm 116
55 Leyland cypress 118
56 Mint 120
57 Russian vine 122
58 Stag's horn sumach 124
59 Dealing with weeds 126
60 Tools for weeding 126
61 Composting weeds 128
62 Mulching 130
63 Weedkillers and how to use them 132
64 Lawns 135
65 Weeds and the law 137
66 Weedy words 139
67 Index 140
Ruth Binney has been fascinated by the natural world since childhood and is an experienced gardening writer. She holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and has been involved in countless publications during her career as an editor. She is a best-selling author of numerous books on the countryside, country folklore and mythology, homemaking and cooking, and made frequent broadcasts on BBC radio including Gardeners Question Time. She lives in Yeovil.
