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Ask a Gardening Question Forum
Lee Burkhill: Award Winning Designer & BBC 1's Garden Rescue Presenters Official Blog
Welcome to the Garden Ninja Gardening Forum! If you have a gardening question that you can't find answers to then ask below to seek help from the Garden Ninja army! Please make your garden questions as specific and detailed as possible so the community can provide comprehensive answers in the online forum below.
Welcome to the ultimate beginner gardening and garden design forum! Where no gardening question is too silly or obvious. This online gardening forum is run by Lee Burkhill, the Garden Ninja from BBC 1’s Garden Rescue and a trusted group of experienced gardeners.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert gardener, it’s a safe place to ask garden-related questions for garden design or planting. If you have a problem in your garden or need help, this is the Garden Forum for you! (See forum rules & moderation policy here)
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Join the forum below with your gardening questions!
Weed indentifctaion
Hi all 🙂
Im having issues removing a certain weed / plant. Is anyone able to help me identify? Its very hard to remove so hoping to identify so i know what action to take. Im a complete gardening novice fyi :/ From some googling i think its reed canary grass. thanks in advance 🙂 Pictures attached
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Hi @jimmyn
Thanks for your question. Yes, it is the dreaded for some fast-growing Reed Canary Grass or Phalaris arundinacea. Gorgeous variegated grass that can survive anything!
This grass will grow in damp or dry soil and spreads like wildlife. They are usually seen in marshes or sold as pond marginal plants due to their ability to survive anywhere. I've used them for awkward areas to help colonise difficult ground, but they can quickly take over and become a weed that needs removing.
They spread via rhizomes like all grasses. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of it is manually. Please don't try and use weed killer as this usually rifts and damages other plants and also kills all sorts of beneficial wildlife in its wake.
The best way is with a large fork to lift segments, shake off the soil and then compost the grass. My video guide below shows you other tools and tricks to get rid of this tenacious grass organically!
Hope that helps!
Lee
Thanks Lee
Really appreciate that thorough response 🙂
See pic of what I've removed so far. Had to use pitch fork to get it all up.
It seems to have woven its roots under and through the roots of the trees (which i want to keep) so bit more work still to go.
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Lee Burkhill
Lee Burkhill, known as the Garden Ninja, is an award-winning garden designer and horticulturist with over 30 years of gardening experience and 15 years as a professional garden designer. A qualified RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) professional, Lee specialises in sustainable garden design and practical horticultural advice. He designs and presents on BBC1’s Garden Rescue and in leading gardening publications. Lee combines three decades of hands-on gardening knowledge with professional design qualifications to help gardeners create beautiful, functional outdoor spaces.
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