Time to own up - what weeds do you allow to grow?

[LONGK]

Clearly the term weeds in this context is a little subjective. I'm sure that we're all on top of things like dandelions and nettles,and we're doing our best with ground elder and creeping buttercup etc.
But what about forget me nots! People let them grow because they like them! When I moved here the garden was a mass of f-me-nots, teasel and this Daylily...............


As Daylilies go it's a nice one, but I didn't want a sea of it. I now have a couple of clumps of it (it grows well in shade), the teasle are gone (although having dug the beds over when I moved in they still germinate), but I'm still plagued by the Japanese Anenomes.

The "weeds" that I do allow to grow though are mostly spring bloomers. I get some great colour selections from Aquilega and I.foetidissima...................










The Iris I pick out and grow in pots till they bloom before planting or discarding. The Aquilega is a bit pot luck as I pull most seedlings and hoick out the duffers as soon as they bloom.

My other "weed" (and I introduced these) are Impatiens balfourii and glandulifera "Red Wine".................




Regular deadheading stops them becoming an issue, and the seeds that are left are easily spotted when they germinate.

So what are your "weed" weaknesses?

[charlie]

Welsh Poppies! and foxgloves

[AndyC]

I also allow the occasional foxglove to flower, I can see one now from where I am sitting.
Shiny leaf geranium (Geranium lucidum) is a very attractive weed so I leave that one to spread in places.
I get quite a number of spurges pop up from time to time. Euphorbia characias and melifera are commonly found and I also encourage a few Caper Spurge to reach maturity. I've grown Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris) for over 25 years in more than one garden, initially in the mistaken belief that they live up to the myth of being mole repellants. I can tell you with a lot of conviction that that myth is well and truly busted but I still keep it for the fun of touching the ripe seed pods to see how far the explosion can shoot the seeds.

[Chrisg]

Up until this year it was foxgloves which were all over the garden. Now The garden had been cleared it will be interesting to see what weeds come back. In the mean time Sempervivums are my weeds, every year I have lots of pots in flower and anything around the seed head ends up with lots of babies. I am really hoping this continues when then are all planted out.

[PeterS]

Centranthus ruber. I love it and its one of the longest flowering plants in the garden. Cut it back after it has first flowered and in as little as 3 weeks its back in flower again.

[LONGK]

Like a prat I allow a couple of Foxgloves to mature in the hope that they'll be white................

Had a result with the weed Impatiens glandulifera! Last year I grew a strain called Red Wine.................


I let a couple of self seeders grow. One had reverted back to the plain green leaves (as opposed to having a red vein)................


I was about to tug it and then decided to wait and see what the blooms were like. I got a cracking result!!!

[charlie]

I love genetics! :)

[PeterS]

Whilst I said I liked Centranthus ruber - I like it to be in a block, rather than just self seeded.

If you regard self-seeders as weeds, I love Verbena bonariensis and Atriplex hortensis (purple orach). Both are welcome wherever they appear - as with Aquilegia.

Interesting varient LongK - I think its another example of the uncertainty principle - but I can't be sure. :lol: