Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Would you ALWAYS root out Shining Cranesbill and Herb Robert?

Jane_in_NorfolkJane_in_Norfolk Posts: 33
in Plants
Hi, in the garden of my new house there are quite a few clumps of Shining Cranesbill and Herb Robert.

Would you ALWAYS root them out, or are there any wildlife benefits associated with leaving a few clumps?

If I leave even one clump, will they eventually take over the whole garden?
«13

Posts

  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    I leave it under a hedge which has the bins in front of it as its good for wildlife.  I have some growing under a dwarf apple tree too - but that is coming out as soon as I sort that tree out.  I pull it out of borders but leave it in these early months for the wildlife. I don't think you'll ever get rid of it entirely.
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I always leave some herb Robert. Don't know the other one.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I always take out Robert.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2021
    I leave Herb Robert in the 'wilderness' part of the garden in the spring and take it out later when there's plenty of blooms for the insects.  I try to get it out before the seed pods ripen ... I don't always succeed. 

    Here the Shining Cranesbill only seems to pop up in the veg patch, so it gets hoed out with everything else (well, that's the theory anyway).  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • gjautosgjautos Posts: 429
    My local garden centre is selling herb robert! £2.99 for a 9cm pot🤣. 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited April 2021
    :D:D:D

    Seriously?  I see some "wild seed" companies are selling dandelions.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Leave your soil bare for a couple of weeks and they'll come. It will be full of 'wildflower' seedlings . No need to spend your money and get yet another plastic pot
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • gjautosgjautos Posts: 429
    Fire said:
    :D:D:D

    Seriously?  I see some "wild seed" companies are selling dandelions.
    Yep seriously! I had a proper chuckle to myself when I saw it. Maybe I should set a stall up outside my house. £1 a pot. Freshly dug up from my beds!
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627
    I can’t stand the smell of herb Robert.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    Never, ever, ever leave herb robert to self seed in a 'woodland' border thinking it will provide 'useful' ground cover in a difficult site. Only a real muppet would do that🙄 And 4 years later said muppet would still be trying to weed it out....😤

    One benefit of a year's confinement - I may be getting on top of it.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Sign In or Register to comment.