Wild Flower Or Weed

It's a weed around here, but easily got rid of before it seeds.

True - in the green bin!!!

The previous owners here tolerated all sorts of weeds. Amongst them are Forget me Nots, Teasel, Primrose, Perriwinkle, Helleborus foetida, Ivy and (dare I say it) Aquilega. What has made it even worse for me is that when they did finally pull them they put 'em in the compost!

 

I agree, but a rubble bag full of the above (which are just seedlings) in a week!

 

i cant say i've ever liked using the word "weed" they are our native wildflowers at the end of the day, our very own homegrown flora & i think they can be very pretty, i have a little corner of the garden where i have the likes of chickweed, sow thistle, plantain, cleavers, dandelions ect growing...these are all edible & i harvest them to feed to my pet birds/guinea pigs i also have a few 'herb robert' in the rockery & a row of bittercress which i keep trimmed almost like a tiny little hedge along the sides of the aviary for the birds to nibble as it grows through the wire. there's also wild violets & toadflax. we used to have some beautiful mallows would very much like to get those again, i wish i had daisies & purple clover in the lawn lol always thought it looked so much prettier

 

Hmm! It is not quite as simple as that.

Many "weeds" are plants introduced from other countries, that have escaped, and are now a real pest and problem.

eg 1.Fallopia japonica. Japanese knotweed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fallopia_japonica_MdE_2.jpg

Introduced to Britain because it was a very beautiful plant.
Now escaped everywhere it costs the country millions to just keep it in check.

eg.2. Impatiens glandulifera.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=impatiens glandulifera flowers&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=3K2MUfHoK6mb0wXqm4GgAg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1365&bih=596

...Another gorgeous flower...Introduced... but oh dear it is all along the river banks near here and now in hedgerows. It would fill the farmers fields as well if they didn't regularly plough and harvest grain crops.The explosive seeds means it it is another problem plant. It completely smothers out our native plants, until it is the sole species in acres of ground.
There are many others... Giant hogweed.Crocosmia.etc etc

 

No offence intended!
It would be boring if we all had the same tastes anyway...........

 

I'm off to a late start this year, so I still haven't got round to sorting out my borders. Dandelions have moved in, and daisies are in the lawn. I looked out of the kitchen window today and saw loads of flowers. Bold, cheerful orange en-masse from the dandelions, striking yellow last year's sprouts and broccoli that are now flowering, eye catching pockets of bright white from the daisies in the lawn, and bumble bees looking happy as Larry as they buzz from dandelion to sprout/broccoli flower. All that for no effort from me yet this year.

The dandelions will go ugly soon, and then I'll pull them out. Some of them will have set seed before I do that and my son will no doubt blow/kick said seeds all over the garden, but that's alright. It just means more free, zero maintenance bright orange flowers