Weed Watch: Bristly Greenbrier

Most of these plants grow in the wild, and some have ornamental value due to their aesthetics. To make your garden a hub of beneficial insects and pollinators butterflies, grow some of these weeds that attract the most pollinators but with care so they won’t invade other plants.

Planting milkweed seeds is a great way to get a lot of milkweed plants for your garden. Milkweed isn’t difficult to grow from seed and the plants are beautiful, long blooming, and support many species of pollinators, including monarch butterflies. In this article you’ll learn four easy techniques for planting milkweed seeds and get tips on caring for the seedlings. Why grow milkweed? Gardeners know the value of growing milkweed in their gardens. These are beautiful perennial plants that add b

Weeds are party crashers—they are not invited, take up space and resources, and are not dressed for the occasion. However, some are extremely useful in the garden. You don’t have to empty your wallet on pricey plant food when you can use these weeds that make good fertilizers!

Greater or broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a small perennial plant that grows prolifically in gardens, and is often classed as a weed. You’ll find it in borders, paths and lawns, where its leaves form a rosette from which 30cm tall flower spikes emerge in summer.

Weeds, also known as plants out of place, are part of gardening. Tiny plants crop up in areas where you least expect them or alongside other plants, where they compete for the same resources. Some weeds are easy to remove while others require more time and effort. If you have an organic garden or want to minimize using herbicides and chemicals in your garden, you likely spend ample time pulling weeds. And you may wonder if pouring boiling water is an effective option to kill weeds naturally.

Liverworts are tiny plants with flattened leaves that mostly grow in shady places, damp spots, and where soil is compacted and slow to drain. Liverworts can occur in many places, including paths, paving, other hard surfaces, lawns, border soil, in greenhouses, and the surface of compost in pots. There are around 300 different species of liverwort in the UK. It’s often welcomed for the natural look it brings to gardens along with biodiversity benefits, and in many cases, there’s no need to get rid of liverwort. However, in certain situations, such as on the surface of pots of young plants or on paths which have become slippery, liverwort growth may cause problems and will need to be removed.

Rarely seen, the mole (Talpa europaea)  has the most gorgeous crushed-velvet fur, huge shovel-like paws, a bright pink snout, and tiny eyes. It lives underground, using its paws to dig tunnels and hunt for earthworms and other soil invertebrates, such as carrot fly larvae. You’re most likely to see molehills than the moles themselves. These are heaps of soil which moles push to the surface from shallow tunnels. However, most mole tunnels are deeper underground. They vary in depth, with the deepest tunnels used in times of drought. Each tunnel system has at least one nest chamber, used for sleeping and breeding.

What is giant hogweed?

It is indeed painful to find unwanted plants taking over your carefully curated vegetation. While not all weeds are garden enemies, the ones on this list surely are! Learn to recognize the most common and persistent weeds found in the states, and save your garden from invasion now.

Weed Watch: Pokeweed Learn how to identify and control pokeweed, a toxic native perennial. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) What does pokeweed look like?

Weed Watch: Multiflora Rose This invasive plant can form a dense thicket in a few years as its thorny, arching stems take root. Here's how to get multiflora rose under control. Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) What does multiflora rose look like?

January is an interesting time to look for birds in the garden, as days are short and the availability of natural food is limited. This brings more birds into gardens, for whom a reliable source of supplementary food can be a lifeline.