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Talkback: Creeping buttercup

I have creeping buttercup in my borders and attack it from early spring by digging up any plants and runners I can see. This is generally easier to do in spring before the shrubs etc start spreading. Hopefully I will beat the buttercup one of these years but so far the little monsters keep fighting back!
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  • What is with gardeners and wild flowers. Embrace your buttercups and learn to love them. Perfection is the demon that will drive you mad.
    Incidentally, they look really good inbetween paving stones.
  • I have just moved into a house that has no lawn but a mass of creeping buttercup, ragwort and stinging nettles. I have been advised to dig it all up before laying grass seed or planting. The problem is that some of the roots are going down upto 2 foot and as the area is 30 by 15 foot this is back braking work. Any suggestions on an easier/cheap method?
  • A few years I moved into a house whose back 'lawn' (maybe grass is more honest description of it) was also a mess I weed-killered the whole lot hired a rotovator, carefully dug it over sowed grass seed and regret to say it's now full of moss and not major but still annoyingly large amounts of daisies, dandelions etc. Try your best, but remember immaculately maintained beautiful gardens also speak of someone with lots of time on their hands or lots of money - how much do you have?
  • It may have pretty yellow flowers but when it smothering rhubarb it needs getting out!
  • I'm cultivating, or rather, encouraging a wild flower garden and have followed advice here to cut the grass twice a year. The buttercups are glorious amids the forget-me-nots. That buttercups are considered anathema is mystifying to me.
  • Half of my lawn, or grass really, is buttercups! And I love having them. Each to their own obviously but the info here should acknowledge the counter argument.

    Remember that our bees are struggling at the moment.

    All this info about weeds seems to be for those who want an antiseptic, souless, striped bowling green.

  • LowennaLowenna Posts: 88

    It spreads rapidly in my borders and smothers other plants. I keep digging it out and keep watch for it at all times 

  • PenylanSuePenylanSue Posts: 22

    I find creeping buttercup a menace too.  It spreads through borders and smothers less robust plants.  It also has very dense roots that hold on hard and it is difficult to pull up.  I actually don't mind it in the lawn as mowing keeps it in check a bit but if it is given good rich soil it can grow quite tall and as I say take over other plants.

    Sue

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,064

    We have grass with weeds too and i'm not at all precious as long as it's green and good for kids and dogs to play on.

    However I draw the line at creeping buttercup in my beds and fight a constant battle to clear it.  It's a thug that swamps more attractive plants and I don't like the hard yellow colour either.  Given half a chance, my borders are full of better flowers and foliage that attract a wide variety of insects, especially bees.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Gary HobsonGary Hobson Posts: 1,892
    obelixx wrote (see)

    ... Given half a chance, my borders are full of better flowers ...

    'Better' is an interesting concept.

    In the wild you don't find buttercups absolutely everywhere; just in suitable locations.

    Nature always grows the right plant in the right place (or you could say that every plant has evolved to occupy one particular ecological niche).

    So, if a garden is full of buttercups, that means that nature has decided that buttercups are the 'best' plant to grow there.

    We might think that some plants are prettier, or appeal to our peculiar tastes or other ideas; but those are just our opinions.

    I'm still not putting up with buttercups round my roses.

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