Weeds – they have to be one of the ultimate banes of gardeners’ lives. You till the soil, creating a beautiful blank canvas for your chosen planting scheme, and then these thuggish brutes come along to spoil the party. It’s the ultimate insult to your motivation. The answer? To make it quite clear to them that they’re not welcome before they get their feet under the table.
Prevention is far better than cure
Don’t fancy getting down on your hands and knees to scrabble around on the ground pulling up entangled weeds? Neither do we so here’s the secret to their successful control. Hoe, smother, suppress and prevent seeding. Follow those mantras and you’ll be gazing on pristine borders all summer, rather than a horticultural mosh pit.

Perennial weeds such as dandelions should be gently teased out of lawns as soon as they appear, taking care to remove the long root – © Nicola Stocken/GAP Photos
If you’ve a small group of tap-rooted weeds such as dandelions to blitz, you can gently ease them out of the soil using a weed grubber. Deeper-rooted persistent weeds such as ground elder can be dug out using a fork.
Hoeing is an easy way to keep on top of weeds, well before they begin taking a hold. Hoe on sunny days with a light breeze, so the severed plants quickly wither up. Repeat this once every fortnight throughout summer.
Many weeds are successful because they self-seed copiously. This alchemilla has really taken hold between the paving. Avoid using such plants, or deadhead them before they have a chance to set seeds.
Herbicides can be useful where you have a large, neglected area to reclaim. Use contact types to scorch off large carpets of annual weeds, or systemic formulations to kill persistent deep-rooted types such as bindweed. Lawn weeds can be spot-treated, too.
It pays to adjust your perception of ‘weeds’, too. This soleirolii looks very much at home growing between the paving slabs, so why try to dig it up? Many plants would struggle in damp shade, whereas this interloper is thriving.