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Weeds - Annual Garden Weeds

Annual weeds are not normally as troublesome as perennial ones but they can still cause a few headaches. The secret is to NEVER let weeds flower in your garden because that way you ensure that you never have masses of germinating seedlings to contend with. Seeds can live for many years before germinating and there is an old farming adage that says 'one year's seeds equals seven year's weeds'!

  1. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of Carol
    • Latin Name: Senecio vulgaris.
    • Very common in all areas of the UK.
    • The plant does not grow very tall and is easy to kill by weeding or hoeing but it can be very troublesome because it occurs in great numbers.
    • Sheds seed throughout the year and, in favourable conditions, these germinate almost as soon as they touch the ground!

  2. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of Mussklprozz
    • Latin Name: Matricaria recutita.
    • Sometimes known as wild chamomile, Hungarian chamomile or pineapple weed.
    • Ladybirds love it!
    • Used in medicine to treat irritable bowel syndrome and to induce sleep.
    • Although classified as an annual, late germinating seedlings will overwinter and flower the next year.
    • The plant has such a strong scent that it can taint the milk of cows that eat it.

  3. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of Melganzenvoet bloeiwijze
    • Latin Name: Chenopodium album.
    • Sometimes known as lamb's quarters, goosefoot and pigweed.
    • A very variable plant that can quickly adapt to soil conditions and its environment by changing its genetics! There are many 'micro species'.
    • Cultivated as a vegetable crop in parts of Africa and India.

  4. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of Primerki
    • Latin Name: Solanum nigrum.
    • Sometimes called hound's berry or wonder Berry.
    • A member of the Solanum family and a close relative of the popular red-berried houseplant seen at Christmas.
    • In many parts of the world the ripe black berries are collected and eaten but it is seldom used for this purpose in Europe.
    • Widely used in eastern medicine as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

  5. What is the name of this annual weed?

    • Latin Name: Poa annua.
    • Otherwise known as annual bluegrass.
    • Grows rapidly from seed and can flower within 6 weeks.
    • A single plant can produce over 2,000 seeds and therefore a garden can go from having one plant to having several million within the course of a summer.
    • The moral is don't let it seed!

  6. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of www.geograph.org.uk/profile/22713
    • Latin Name: Persicaria maculosa.
    • Commonly known as Persicaria, redleg and lady's-thumb.
    • Loves soils that are moist and rich.
    • The dark spots on the leaves are an aid to identification.
    • Used to fight diarrhoea and infections.
    • Seeds are dormant for at least 60 days after shedding - seeds produced in summer usually germinate the next spring.
    • Leaves may be eaten as a vegetable.

  7. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of MichaelMaggs
    • Latin Name: Papaver rhoeas.
    • The symbol of remembrance and part of the logo of the Royal British Legion.
    • A close relative is grown for the production of opium!
    • Sometimes known as the headache plant because its scent causes some people to have headaches.
    • In arable crops it can appear in great abundance and some fields are estimated to have upwards of 20 million seeds per acre.

  8. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of Daniel J Layton
    • Latin Name: Lamium purpureum.
    • Unlike its close relations, it does not sting!
    • Very valuable for bees because it flowers early in the year when there are few other flowering plants from which to gather nectar.
    • Can be used as a spring vegetable but it doesn't taste very good!

  9. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of Hugo.arg
    • Latin Name: Stellaria media.
    • Sometimes known as chickenwort, craches, maruns and winterweed.
    • Chickens love to eat it.
    • Prefers moist conditions and is one of the first weeds to suffer in a drought.
    • Usually germinates in late autumn or early spring and then rapidly forms a dense mat as soon as conditions improve in late spring and early summer.

  10. What is the name of this annual weed?

    Photograph courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/luschei/
    • Latin Name: Galium aparine
    • A greatly disliked weed known by various names such as beggar lice, cliver, goose-grass, goosebill, sticky-leaf, gripgrass, catchweed and robin-run-the-hedge.
    • The leaves and stem are covered with hairs tipped with tiny hooks that make them cling to animal's fur and people's clothing.
    • Most seeds germinate in the late summer or autumn.
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