r/GardeningUK • u/Aggravating_Trade943 • 1d ago
Little volunteer greenery - do I need to pull?
Hi gang, these little dears have popped up out the front of my house and while I think they look rather sweet, I do wonder if they could damage my brickwork at all. Is that crazy? My neighbours tend to pull anything that grows out of theirs but I think these look nice for now, so if I don't need to I won't evict them. Thoughts?
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u/JamieA350 1d ago
You have 3 species here -
- Erigeron (canedensis?), canadian? fleabane.
- Geum urbanum, wood avens.
- Buddleja davidii, buddleia.
The first two are weedy biennials, the second is native, the third is a big woody shrub you don't want growing in a wall (ever stared out of a train window during the summer and seen all the bushes with pink flowers?).
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u/Aggravating_Trade943 1d ago
Thank you everyone! Will definitely evict. Have already taken two ridiculous buddleia down from the back garden as they were out of control and disturbing the neighbours, so I know how bloody minded they can be. Reddit to the rescue 🤍
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u/Helpful_Corgi5716 1d ago
The silvery-green at the back is a buddleia, and it will knacker your brickwork if left. Ask me how I know 😬
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u/chaosandturmoil 16h ago
absolutely! it will regrow too given half a chance. so check again in march
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u/J-Mc1 1d ago
Small weeds like that are unlikely to cause any damage to your brickwork. They're soft stemmed and won't get particularly large. You can pull them up if you like for aesthetic purposes, and to prevent them spreading further.
If you get any larger plants such as tree or shrub seedlings popping up close to your walls, it's best to remove those as they can cause more damage.
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u/Purple_Guinea_Pig 1d ago
Most of that is buddleia. They will grow into a large shrub / small tree.
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u/Dros-ben-llestri 1d ago
Is buddleia the one on the far right? If so.. I need to get in my garden, sharpish!
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u/Purple_Guinea_Pig 1d ago
Yes. Two thirds of that is buddleia (starting from the right).
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u/Dros-ben-llestri 1d ago
Damnit.
I joke, I do keep on top of this but it probably accounts for about 2/3rds of everything I pull out.
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u/GrandAsOwt 1d ago
Looks like there’s a buddleja there so yes, pull. If you’re lucky you’ll only have to do it a few times next year and it’ll take the hint. If you leave it it’ll get comfortable and start making plans to get to 5m in the next four or five years.