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large clumps of foliage, obscuring and smothering small plants. Seed is produced following the cream-white trumpet flowers, which also allows this weed to spread.This climbing, twining perennial dies down in winter but grows rapidly in spring and summer

. freshly-cultivated ground, established borders, undisturbed ground, old walls, cracks in paving spring, summer, autumn, winterMore advice on removing weedsPineapple weedField bindweedCreeping thistleJapanese knotweed

Chickweed, Stellaria media, is best thought of as a delicious rather than a pernicious weed. Its young leaves are packed with vitamins, so it makes a healthy addition to salads. However, it can also harbour greenfly and spider mite, so remove

Cleavers grows rapidly during warm weather. The sticky stems are able to scramble around the garden, smothering small, cultivated plants and setting masses of seed. It's usually introduced on the coats of animals, birds' feathers or human clothing

. Couch also produces flowerheads that are followed by seeds, allowing the further spread of this weed.Couch grass spreads easily to form dense mats of underground stems. It grows among cultivated plants, competing for water and nutrients and reducing crop

Dock, Rumex crispus, appears in the garden in large spreading groups, and is characterised by coarse, battered leaves. It spreads via seed produced by tiny brownish-green flowers, which appear in abundance in summer and are loved by seed

-white roots of ground elder. Regular cutting of the foliage, just below ground level with a hoe will gradually weaken the plant, but this needs to be done every 7-10 days, as soon as regrowth appears. Alternatively, fork through the soil every 10 to 14 days

in from surrounding gardens, fields and waste ground.A bushy weed that bears small yellow flowers and fluffy seedheads. Its leaves often have orange-brown pustules of rust fungus in summer and autumn, which can spread to cultivated plants. Pull out young

or ruining your display, it might not be worth fighting it. This grass can make itself at home all around the garden, particularly in beds, borders, the lawn and paving. It has fluffy flowerheads that disperse seed and keep the weed coming.Use a handfork

based on sulphate of iron. When the moss has blackened (after two or three weeks), use a spring-tine rake to remove it. Apply it in calm conditions when there is least risk of accidentally damaging nearby garden plants.all over the garden