Bindweed, couch grass and ground elder often embed themselves in borders, shrubs and hedges, where they are brilliantly adapted to persist, despite the best efforts of gardeners. They have spent the summer extending their roots and will now be filling those roots with food before they die back for the winter, so they can regrow in spring with renewed vigour. Gardeners aim to prevent this.

Couch grass has long-spreading underground rhizomes – underground stems – that spread, eventually forming a thick mat.

Couch grass does no harm in lawns or meadows and supports the caterpillars of some moths and butterflies. It dies out in closely mown well-fed lawns, but it can be a nuisance in vegetable gardens and among perennial plants such as soft fruit, shrubs and herbaceous borders.

Bentgras

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