Annual meadow grass

Annual meadow grass (Poa annua) is distinguished from lawned grass by its lighter colour and tufted appearance. Able to set seed and flower virtually throughout the whole year, even at very low cutting heights, annual meadow grass can spread very rapidly and will migrate to beds, borders and paths from the lawn. It is very adaptable and one of the most resistant weeds growing in our gardens today.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Fast Action Roundup Ready to use in either 1litre, 3 litre or 5 litre Pump N Go 

Common chickweed

A very familiar sight in gardens and cultivated areas everywhere, and probably the most common weed in the world today. Common chickweed (stellaria media) can mature and produce seed in 5 to 6 weeks, allowing it to spread rapidly across the garden. It forms a low dense sprawling mat, with its white flowers and pale green leaves, and will quickly choke other plants in the vicinity. Though relatively easy to remove from the surface, pulling up the very resistant roots can be a more difficult task.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Fast Action Roundup Ready to use in either 1litre, 3 litre or 5 litre Pump N Go 

Groundsel

Prized by Anglo Saxons for its supposed medicinal properties, Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) is actually poisonous and toxic to livestock. A winter annual, it can spread very quickly thanks to short seed cycles, and is a common sight in disturbed soil or cultivated areas. The main flowering time is from March to April, though its small oblong yellow flower heads can be seen virtually throughout the year. Leaves are bright green and slightly shiny and stems can reach up to 40 centimetres in height.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Fast Action Roundup Ready to use in either 1litre, 3 litre or 5 litre Pump N Go 

Fat hen

A tall annual weed that’s a member of the beet and spinach family and allegedly much loved by feeding poultry – hence the name. Fat hen (Chenopodium album) is characterised by lance shaped, grey green leaves, paler underneath, and covered with a powdery coating.

Its multi-branched stem can grow up to 1 metre in height and clusters of small greenish-white flowers come into bloom from June to October. Fat hen prefers nutrient-rich soils and will often spring up in beds and borders.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Fast Action Roundup Ready to use in either 1litre, 3 litre or 5 litre Pump N Go 

Hairy bittercress

With a life cycle of just 3 to 4 weeks, and each seedhead capable of dispersing literally thousands of seeds, hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsute) can quickly colonise an area.

Left unchecked, it will infest the whole garden, even creating problems in containers and pots. Part of the mustard family, Hairy bittercress will flower in the main between March and August and its erect stem can reach up to 30 centimetres in height.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Fast Action Roundup Ready to use in either 1litre, 3 litre or 5 litre Pump N Go 

Broad Leaf Dock

The Dock is a tough to eradicate perennial weed and can be easily identified by its large green leaves and it can grow to about 18 inches tall. The stems of some of the lowers leaves can be red in colour. These large leaves block out light and water from your wanted plants so early control is important.

The flowers which bloom from June to September are green and turn red as they mature.

Broad Leaf Dock is actually slightly poisonous and is notified as an “Injurious weed” in the UK Weeds Act 1959 as its white milky sap can cause mild dermatitis. It has been know that livestock can become ill if they feed on it. Getting rid of Dock can be very difficult as the tap root can grow as deep as 5 feet!

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup Ready to Use or Roundup GC Liquid Concentrate

Hedge bindweed

Hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium) is a perennial with long climbing stems, heart-shaped leaves and white or pink bell-shaped flowers. Flowering from June to October and growing up to 3 metres, bindweed entwines in an anticlockwise direction and can often be found growing up and over hedges, fruit trees, plants and borders. Very invasive and likely to smother other smaller plants, it spreads through creeping underground roots and seed.

The recommended product for this weed is:

Roundup GC Liquid Concentrate

Couch Grass

A pervasive perennial grass, couch grass (Elymus repens) is a very common weed and can be found in most gardens either in borders or under hedges. It can grow up to 1.5 metres in height and its small herringbone-shaped seed heads flower from May to October. Couch grass can spread quickly with its creeping underground stems and fibrous roots at every joint, and it’s extremely difficult to dig out.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup Ready to Use or Roundup GC Liquid Concentrate

Ground elder

A perennial that spreads in the main by its creeping underground stems, with roots forming a network just below the surface. Ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria) can grow up to 1 metre in height in summer and is characterised by small white flowers in densely packed umbels, comprising up to 20 spokes. Left unchecked, ground elder is very invasive and will smother other plants in beds and borders.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup Ready to Use or Roundup GC Liquid Concentrate

Plantain

This is an evergreen perennial which is spread by its seeds. If found in lawns be very careful when applying Roundup as it will also kill the grass if touched.

The recommended product for this weed is:

Roundup GC Liquid Concentrate

Dandelion

This perennial weed gets its name from the French for “teeth of the lion” ['dents de lion'] and is a member of the sunflower family. Try to treat when the plant is young as once established the roots can grow very deep. Treat before flowering, or remove flowers and buds before treatment as the seeds can spread far from the plant. If found in lawns be very careful when applying Roundup as it will also kill the grass if touched.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup Ready to Use or Roundup GC Liquid Concentrate

Bramble

Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) is common throughout the UK, particularly in hedgerows, and frequently a nuisance in gardens with its packed, thorny stems. White, pink or purple flowers appear from June to September and a berry-type fruit is produced from July onwards. Both the oval shaped leaves and long arching stems are prickly, with the latter growing up to 3 metres. Seeds can be spread in bird droppings, resulting in bramble often springing up beneath shrubs and trees.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup XL Ready to Use or Roundup Tree Stump & Root Killer

Creeping thistle

A creeping biennial with upright stems reaching a height of 1.5 metres, creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) is distinguished by its loose clusters of purplish fragrant flowerheads and narrow, crinkly, sharp, spiny leaves. With roots capable of penetrating up to 3 metres in depth and 5 metres laterally, the latter developing new plants in spring, creeping thistle can quickly become predominant in beds and borders.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup XL Ready to Use or Roundup Tree Stump & Root Killer

Horsetail

A perennial weed that’s a common problem for gardeners and difficult to eradicate, particularly in paved areas where a dense network of the weed can exist underneath the paving. Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) has creeping underground stems than can penetrate down to a depth of 1.5 metres and a fern-like appearance with its thin straight stems and absence of leaves. In spring, it sprouts brown asparagus-like shoots with cones at the tips that produce spores.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup Ultra 3000, Roundup GC or Roundup Tree Stump & Root Killer

Japanese knotweed

Originally first introduced to Britain by the Victorians as an ornamental plant, and even lauded and awarded at prestigious flower shows, this perennial is now regarded as a particularly invasive weed and a very serious pest. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia Japonica) has flourished in British growing conditions and huge sums are spent to try to bring it under control. It is characterised by heart shaped leaves and dense hollow bamboo type canes. It flowers in late summer and features clusters of small creamy white blossoms.

The recommended product for this weed is:

Roundup Tree Stump & Root Killer

Nettles

Nettles seem to spring up everywhere! The stinging nettle (Urtica Dioica) is a perennial with toothed downy leaves that flowers between June and September and grows to more than a metre in height. As we’re all too familiar, the tiny hairs on its leaves will sting when touched and lead to a rash. Thanks to creeping roots with extensive food reserves, it can be quite difficult to get rid of the nettle.

The recommended products for this weed are:

Roundup XL Ready to Use or Roundup Tree Stump & Root Killer

Plantain

This is an evergreen perennial which is spread by its seeds. Its leaves grow close to the ground so can avoid the blades of mowers.

Dandelion

This perennial weed gets its name from the French for “teeth of the lion” ['dents de lion'] and is a member of the sunflower family. Try to treat when the plant is young as once established the roots can grow very deep. Treat before flowering, or remove flowers and buds before treatment as the seeds can spread far from the plant. Its leaves grow close to the ground so can avoid the blades of mowers.

Daisy

A perennial weed that is most common in closely mown lawns.