Hairy Bittercress!

it has a short life cycle and each flower can produce upto 300 seeds. the pods explode shooting seeds up a m away. evoluton at its best. satisfying to weed out as roots are fibrous and it composts well. rabbits like it and we can eat the washed leaves in a bitter salad. so not all bad.

Thank you Seaburn Girl ... but I would need to have a shed load of rabbits and the gut of a raving herbivore and a major shareholding in 'Hellman's to cope with it ... but helpful information so well done and thanks! :)

the trick is to get them before they flower. old saying 'one years seed 7 years weeds'. seeds lie dormant and as you fork around you bring them to the surface and then they germinate. isnt nature wonderful.

Bittercress is a PAIN. It is the only plant I know that seeds before it flowers. Actually, hairy bittercress has an even nastier cousin in the New Zealad Bittercress, This small dark plant lies flat to the surface and is almost the same colour as the soil. It then proceeds to throw its seed as far as possible and we know it as 'poppers' for this reason. All you can do is to keep hauling it out - and swearing quietly!

I totally agree, Bulbaholic! They are a menace - if you miss one, you get loads and loads of them.

They obviously have a plan to take over the gardening world Gloriosa! I suddenly took note of a weedy area in the garden that we had partly ignored, due to so much work in digging veggie beds and removing rocks, and was horrified to see it positively bursting with bittercress! A couple of hours later and I got every single one - but I'll be looking again .... and again .... and again ... until they realise there's no future for them in MY garden!

Good luck to you, Nariz - but I betcha' don't (get them all) :-).

thanks for this everyone, and Gloriosa's question made me laugh so much i nearly spilt my soup.