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

Anyone like orange hawkweed?

stevetisteveti Posts: 5
in Plants
I keep seeing problems about orange hawkweed, but I quite like it so thought I would say something positive about them. It's not bothered by slugs in our borders whereas my dahlias, cosmos, pansies, pelagoniums, coleus all get eaten completely to the ground!!!! The orange hawkweed also covers bare earth in the enclosed borders I have. Its a small garden so not difficult to remove hawkweed if it appears in the wrong place. (what is a wrong place). Slugs definitely avoid them so I will use them as a barrier round plants. Lots of spikey/hairy leaves.

«13

Posts

  • YviestevieYviestevie Posts: 7,066
    I love it too.  Saw it growing wild and didn't know what it was so I did a bit of research and bought a small pot.  It's not going crazy in the garden and if it did start to spread too much it's not too difficult to remove.
    Hi from Kingswinford in the West Midlands
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    I also like it, I have one of the hawkweeds in my gravel drive, not the orange one unfortunately but still a cheerful yellow.
  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    My favourite colour, and my favourite weed!
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I like it too.
    Why is it that slugs never eat weeds but any plants chewed to the ground overnight. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Yes we have it as well. The vibrant orange is brilliant.
    It does though appear to love turning up all over the garden and orchard.
    Seeds will travel!
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Pretty as it is, it's one of the few weeds I dig out religiously. The leaves spread flat on the ground to stop anything else from growing. A good plant to grow if you don't want any grass in your lawn.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • stevetisteveti Posts: 5
    Lyn said:
    I like it too.
    Why is it that slugs never eat weeds but any plants chewed to the ground overnight. 

    Maybe we should not weed as much and let the weeds protect the delicate cultivars?

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Good luck with that one😉
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • stevetisteveti Posts: 5
    B3 said:
    Pretty as it is, it's one of the few weeds I dig out religiously. The leaves spread flat on the ground to stop anything else from growing. A good plant to grow if you don't want any grass in your lawn.

    I have read that letting grass grow is way to control orange hawkweed exuberance. I let my grass grow to about 3 or 4 inches before I mow. It stays greener through summer months that way and weeds have to push leaves up through it so when you mow they are cut back severly, but grass survives. Also grass will smother moss if the long wait mow cycle is adopted.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    I've got the yellow species but will happily add some of the orange when I find some.
Sign In or Register to comment.