Not sure about the first one Mary but your final pic does look like mares tail.
You say you haven't seen it before in the garden. How long have you been there?
If it's a while then that mare's tail may have been imported to your garden with something else - perhaps that bark mulch. If there was a tiny bit of rhizome attached or buried in imported compost or mulch it will grow away.
If it's the only bit I would carefully scrape back the bark to expose the soil and then try to excavate it out. Dig big and deep so you get all the root. If it's been imported in mulch or compost hopefully it will all be in the top layers of compost / soil etc
You really don't want mare's tail to establish in your garden - but if it's a lone wee bit and you act promptly you should be able to get it out.
Then be really vigilant for any new bits.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Topbird, I'm here 4 years. I've been concentrating on fixing and planting the back garden, as it had been used as a rubbish tip for many years. After 4 years very hard work, it is finally coming together, and all was going well until I bought in a tonne of 'topsoil' earlier in the year. I covered a large portion of the garden in the soil and then topped with shop bought bagged wood chippings. As I am/was determined not to use weedkiller, anywhere. That is until now, as a section of the left over soil is smother in what I believe to be colts foot, as identified by Dove, who again has successfully identified my 'triffid' as burdock, which I can live with, as it is wildlife friendly, and can be removed after it flowers, and it's in the front garden, which I call my meadow, it get strimmed down about four times over the growing season.. Hope to getting working on the front later this year.
The colts foot is attempting to grow up through the bark in the bed in the back, which is where I found the mares tail, only one piece so far. I have conceded and have been spraying it with weedkiller, as I spot it coming through the bark. I'm feeling very disheartened, especially considering the four years hard work to get it looking reasonable, which feels as if it has been totally undone.
That is a very disheartening experience Mary - I'd be having a 'chat' with the suppliers of the top soil if I were you. Sounds like a load of weed infested soil to me
What have you actually done with the top soil in the garden? If you've just laid it as a layer over your existing soil then you can probably deal with this without too much bother and promptly dig weeds out as and when they appear. With luck they will just be in the top few inches of soil and a concerted effort with spade and glyphosate should see things reasonably cleared this season.
Vigilance will be your watch word to spot baby weeds coming through and zap or dig them before they have a chance to get their roots established in the soil underneath.
If you've rotavated the topsoil in your task will be more difficult but not impossible - even more important to deal with young weeds as soon as they appear and dig every last bit of them out.
Be aware that mare's tail has a waxy coating which makes using glyphosate less effective. At the very least you should bruise the stems before spraying or painting with the weedkiller. I would probably choose to dig out mare's tail. The roots can go down a very long way if it's established but (if it has come in with the top soil) it should still only be in the top 20 - 30 cms - just be sure to get all the root / rhizome out.
I wish you all the very best. It might seem disheartening now but if this a problem with the imported topsoil you can nip this in the bud if you keep on your guard.
Assuming you haven't already done so.... I would delay planting up until next year. That way you can dig and spray freely without killing treasures.
Good luck.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Topbird, it was actually 10 tonne not 1 tonne I got. I put the soil in the back garden as we've been working on it 4 years. It's been heavily mulched also. I have been zapping the young weeds as they are growing through the mulch, as I had planned on not planting it until next year. Needless to say, the baby weeds are only just appearing through the mulch the last two or so weeks, it was the small piece of earth which was left in the front, which drew my attention to the problem a several weeks ago. I sent a scathing email to the company, as the are advertising themselves as landscape gardeners, what has me most annoyed is that if they had said it needed treatment before using I would have done so. As when he arrived with the load, I showed him the back garden, we've already planted a 6'wide border, the remaining is 3 small beds, and one very large bed, so he knew it was going to be used for planting in. I just think I have been unfortunate to have found a gangster.
Posts
Not sure about the first one Mary but your final pic does look like mares tail.
You say you haven't seen it before in the garden. How long have you been there?
If it's a while then that mare's tail may have been imported to your garden with something else - perhaps that bark mulch. If there was a tiny bit of rhizome attached or buried in imported compost or mulch it will grow away.
If it's the only bit I would carefully scrape back the bark to expose the soil and then try to excavate it out. Dig big and deep so you get all the root. If it's been imported in mulch or compost hopefully it will all be in the top layers of compost / soil etc
You really don't want mare's tail to establish in your garden - but if it's a lone wee bit and you act promptly you should be able to get it out.
Then be really vigilant for any new bits.
The first one is Greater Burdock http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/greater-burdock
The second does look like mare's tail ...... do as Topbird suggests.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Topbird, I'm here 4 years. I've been concentrating on fixing and planting the back garden, as it had been used as a rubbish tip for many years. After 4 years very hard work, it is finally coming together, and all was going well until I bought in a tonne of 'topsoil' earlier in the year. I covered a large portion of the garden in the soil and then topped with shop bought bagged wood chippings. As I am/was determined not to use weedkiller, anywhere. That is until now, as a section of the left over soil is smother in what I believe to be colts foot, as identified by Dove, who again has successfully identified my 'triffid' as burdock, which I can live with, as it is wildlife friendly, and can be removed after it flowers, and it's in the front garden, which I call my meadow, it get strimmed down about four times over the growing season.. Hope to getting working on the front later this year.
The colts foot is attempting to grow up through the bark in the bed in the back, which is where I found the mares tail, only one piece so far. I have conceded and have been spraying it with weedkiller, as I spot it coming through the bark. I'm feeling very disheartened, especially considering the four years hard work to get it looking reasonable, which feels as if it has been totally undone.
That is a very disheartening experience Mary - I'd be having a 'chat' with the suppliers of the top soil if I were you. Sounds like a load of weed infested soil to me
What have you actually done with the top soil in the garden? If you've just laid it as a layer over your existing soil then you can probably deal with this without too much bother and promptly dig weeds out as and when they appear. With luck they will just be in the top few inches of soil and a concerted effort with spade and glyphosate should see things reasonably cleared this season.
Vigilance will be your watch word to spot baby weeds coming through and zap or dig them before they have a chance to get their roots established in the soil underneath.
If you've rotavated the topsoil in your task will be more difficult but not impossible - even more important to deal with young weeds as soon as they appear and dig every last bit of them out.
Be aware that mare's tail has a waxy coating which makes using glyphosate less effective. At the very least you should bruise the stems before spraying or painting with the weedkiller. I would probably choose to dig out mare's tail. The roots can go down a very long way if it's established but (if it has come in with the top soil) it should still only be in the top 20 - 30 cms - just be sure to get all the root / rhizome out.
I wish you all the very best. It might seem disheartening now but if this a problem with the imported topsoil you can nip this in the bud if you keep on your guard.
Assuming you haven't already done so.... I would delay planting up until next year. That way you can dig and spray freely without killing treasures.
Good luck.
Thanks for the replies.
Topbird, it was actually 10 tonne not 1 tonne I got. I put the soil in the back garden as we've been working on it 4 years. It's been heavily mulched also. I have been zapping the young weeds as they are growing through the mulch, as I had planned on not planting it until next year. Needless to say, the baby weeds are only just appearing through the mulch the last two or so weeks, it was the small piece of earth which was left in the front, which drew my attention to the problem a several weeks ago. I sent a scathing email to the company, as the are advertising themselves as landscape gardeners, what has me most annoyed is that if they had said it needed treatment before using I would have done so. As when he arrived with the load, I showed him the back garden, we've already planted a 6'wide border, the remaining is 3 small beds, and one very large bed, so he knew it was going to be used for planting in. I just think I have been unfortunate to have found a gangster.
Report him to your version of Trading Standards immediately!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.