大象传媒

Weeds are a gardener’s nightmare. Often considered an eyesore, at the first sight of one sprouting we’re quick to douse it in weed killer and hastily pull out the roots. They find their way into our gardens, driveways and pavements, but could weeds be much more important than we realise?

In Open Country, Helen Marks follows writer and broadcaster Jane Perrone on a pavement safari in search of weeds and plants tucked into the cracks of our urban areas. We also hear from botanists Sophie Leguil, Phil Gates and Plantlife’s Trevor Dines, who tell us why we should give these so-called ‘pesky’ weeds another chance.

Jane Perrone, plant and gardening journalist, heads off around her home of Bedfordshire in pursuit of wild plants and flowers peeking through the cracks of our pavements with a bag of chalk in tow. She’s following in the footsteps of botanist, Sophie Leguil, to write names next to the weeds she finds in the hope that others walking by will notice the overlooked flora.

Urban botanist Sophie first did this in her home country of France and has continued chalking names in London.

Paving the way since 1 January 2017, France banned pesticides in public spaces (apart from sports grounds and cemeteries) and now embraces its wildflowers and plants, even encouraging residents to sow seeds in the pavement cracks and walls.

Sophie was inspired to bring the same mentality to the UK and launched the project this year to help us embrace our urban biodiversity in walls, pavements and tree pits to ‘rewild’ the cities.

She explains “I wanted to convey the message that possibly those plants might be more than just weeds. They have roles in ecology, they have a role for insects, urban biodiversity, they may be able to capture some pollution, they produce oxygen, they can help us understand our local environment better.”

Botanist Phil Gates exlpains “they often complete their lifecycle quickly, so they’ll germinate in a mild winter, grow through the spring and flower very quickly, set and shed lots of seeds that can get down into those cracks in the pavement.”

With the hustle and bustle of our cities there’s plenty of soles and vehicles moving seeds around, spreading wild flora.

The hundreds, or even thousands, of seeds in a single flower head certainty helps: one flower head of Lamb’s Quarters holds 75,000 seeds! There’s also ample choice of habitats a weed can take root in urban areas such as river banks, parks, gravel driveways, roof gardens and brick walls.

The heat trapped in concrete, brick and stone also creates a unique urban environment that lets less common plants like Passion flower and Oxford Ragwort thrive.

The humble weed is also nature’s own fertiliser and will tell you a lot about your soil. Weeds including Dandelions and Plantain provide minerals and nutrients like potassium and calcium which help lacklustre soil that’s perhaps seen better days.

Dandelion weed - they have even been dubbed a superfood!

These clever little plants also indicate what the soil is missing - White Clover appears if there’s a nitrogen deficit. Though we’re usually eager to remove weed roots, they’re great at strengthening topsoil and weeds with deep roots pull up nutrients to the surface which will help other plants flourish. Even once they’ve died the leaves and rotting roots add organic matter and provide a route for air and rain to pass through, creating a more fertile soil. And if that wasn’t enough, they also attract handy insects like ladybirds, minute pirate bugs (these are basically plant pest control) and pollinators which are vital to local biodiversity.

Sophie explains weeds may even provide a much-needed boost to your mood if you’re trapped between the grey walls of a concrete jungle: “They have a role in potentially helping our mental health. Just seeing little bits of nature, it’s important to reveal that world. It’s sitting there beneath our feet and it’s just waiting to be discovered really.”

Though, some have made the change to cut mowing costs, improve biodiversity and adapt to public taste. Rotherham Borough Council has eight miles of wild verges and roundabouts, while Leicestershire County Council is taking requests for wildflower verges in certain locations.

Something that more councils have been able to adopt is reducing or eliminating weed killer use altogether.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council decided to ban glyphosate weed killers and instead use foam and hot water treatments since in 2016.

If you fancy embracing your local weeds, go on your own pavement safari and try to name what you find - Sophie recommends the to help identify what you’re looking at. By simply going for a walk you’ll be moving the wild seeds along, contributing to the spread of our flora.

You could even create your own wildflower garden for a low maintenance colourful bloom that lasts. Packet mixes of wildflower seeds (best sown in autumn) are easily available to sprinkle in a flower bed or to liven up a patch of patio. If you want something just as hardy with a little more fragrance, herbs like lavender, thyme and chamomile will enjoy gravel or concrete surroundings and add a touch of nature to a garden path.

There’s also plenty of edible weeds you could experiment with. Dandelions have even been dubbed a superfood! Perhaps the next time you see some wild flora you’ll think twice about what it can do for your local area and maybe even see some beauty in it.