To weed or not to weed?

That is the question for the contemporary gardener. Is it better to welcome the plants that spring naturally from the soil, or brand them “weeds” and, armed with strimmer, trowel and herbicide, impose your will upon the piece of ground you call your own?

The traditional garden had its perfect lawn with no hint of daisies, or dandelions. The borders were sieved to a fine tilth and punctuated by lonely plants, - artificial islands of colour in a drab, brown sea, and all regularly sprayed to kill the “pests”. The new normal is no-dig, no-mow-May, no soil visible, and weeds eradicated by redefinition rather than elimination. Floral biodiversity attracts butterflies, bees, frogs, bats and birds, all doing their own thing. Some “natural plants” do call for gentle culling, but there is no need to obsess. A small patch of nettles or buttercups looks good and attracts pollinators.

You can create a wildflower meadow easily. In late autumn, remove any natural plants you really don’t want, suppress growth with cardboard for three months or so, then in the spring rake over and sow a wildflower mix that suits your soil. Importantly, include yellow rattle, a natural meadow plant that competes with grass. Cut down in late summer, - and crucially remove the cuttings to your compost heap, as meadows thrive on reduced nutrients.

Politics needs diversity too. Democracy isn’t much use if there’s only one party, and parties won’t deliver good government if they’re managed like an over-manicured lawn. Jamie Driscoll may be to the left of the current Labour Party leadership, but he has been an effective, pragmatic North of Tyne Mayor. Was it wise to weed him out of the candidate list for the new North-East Mayor?

There are, however, still some real weeds that must be rooted out. Giant hogweed is poisonous, invasive and will soon overshadow any garden and reduce it to wasteland. Any politicians spring to mind?

Bob Turner