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Poems that find loveliness in dandelions, nettles and ragwort
Friday 2nd May 2025
Ten Poems about Weeds
A weed is just a plant in the wrong place – many gardeners will have said these words to themselves with a wry smile when contemplating an afternoon of pulling up nettles or digging out ground elder.
This delightful pamphlet is proof – if needed – that weeds can be every bit as beautiful as the flowers we choose to cultivate in our gardens. In one poem about a variety of hawkweed, the speaker’s attention is caught by the unexpected vividness of flowers growing close to a disused gravel pit.
These days, we’re encouraged to make space for a few weeds in our gardens. Bees and butterflies find them irresistible, so why shouldn’t we? This lively and varied mini anthology seems to agree.