That looks very likely to be hedge mustard — Sisymbrium officinale — or a close wild mustard / brassica-family weed.
The clues are:
- Small yellow four-petalled flowers
- Tall, branching, slightly scruffy stems
- Deeply lobed leaves
- Growing happily at the edge of paths/fences
- That rather “wild rocket gone feral” look
It is in the cabbage/mustard family, so it is related to rocket, brassicas, turnips, radish, kale and so on. It is not one of the worst weeds, but it can seed about if you let it finish flowering.
For the allotment, I’d treat it as:
Useful for pollinators while flowering, but remove before seed.
I’d pull or cut it now if it is near your beds, especially because those yellow flowers will soon become seed pods. If the stems already have lots of pods, don’t compost it cold — put it in a hot compost heap, weed tea bucket, or council green waste.
I would not eat it unless you are fully confident of the ID, but botanically it is in the same broad edible family as mustards and rockets. At this stage it would probably be tough and bitter anyway.
So: not a disaster weed, but definitely one to stop before it thinks it owns the place.
Its in the gardenThought for a second
In the garden I’d be a bit more relaxed about it — unless it is somewhere you want tidy or productive.
It still looks like hedge mustard / wild mustard type, so I’d do this:
Leave a few flowering stems for now if you like the wild edge and pollinators are using it.
But cut or pull it before it sets seed, because it can scatter itself around the garden and into pots, borders and veg planters.
A good compromise:
Cut the flowering tops off now and drop the leafy bits as a rough mulch, or add them to compost if there are no seed pods yet. If you can see long thin pods forming, bag/bin those bits or put them in a weed tea bucket.
It is not one I’d panic about like bindweed or couch grass. More of a “don’t let it get ideas above its station” plant.
And this one?Thought for a couple of seconds
That one looks much more like feverfew — Tanacetum parthenium.
The giveaway is the mass of soft, ferny, lobed leaves with upright stems. If left to flower it should produce small daisy-like flowers: white petals with yellow centres. It often appears in exactly this sort of place: edges, cracks, garden borders, paths, and neglected corners.
It is not usually a terrible weed, but it can become a cheerful self-seeder. In your garden I’d probably treat it as a “managed volunteer” rather than an enemy.
Best approach:
Let one or two clumps flower if you like it — insects will visit it and it has that nice cottage-garden look.
Cut back or pull the rest before it seeds everywhere.
If it is too close to the fence/path or crowding things you actually planted, lift it now while the soil is workable. It usually comes up fairly easily compared with couch grass, bindweed, docks, etc.
So: probably feverfew, useful enough to keep a bit, but don’t let the whole garden become a feverfew tribute act.
Both of photos show big clumps but most other spots where it has seeded i have cleared out.. final picture to id
more to identifyThought for a few seconds
Reclaiming a Neglected Garden: Weeds, Volunteers and What Comes Next
Over the last year I have been slowly bringing the garden back into shape. When I moved in, it had clearly been neglected for quite a while, and in places it had even been used for fly-tipping. Like many recovering gardens, the first stage has not been about creating perfection, but simply getting back some order: clearing rubbish, opening up paths, cutting back overgrowth, and finding out what is actually growing here.
One of the interesting things about this sort of renovation is that the plants tell part of the story. Disturbed ground, old edges, cracks, rubble, compacted soil and forgotten corners all tend to attract tough pioneer plants. Some are genuinely useful. Some are good for insects. Some are attractive enough to tolerate for a while. Others are best removed before they decide the whole garden belongs to them.
At the moment I am trying to take a fairly balanced approach. Not every self-seeded plant is an enemy, but not every wildflower gets a free pass either. The aim is to gradually replace chaos with choice: keeping the useful or beautiful things, removing the invasive or troublesome ones, and making space for plants I actually want — herbs, fruit, vegetables, flowers for pollinators, and perhaps a more deliberate wild corner.
Main contenders so far
Oxford ragwort — likely
This is the bright yellow daisy-like plant forming big clumps along the fence edge. It looks cheerful and is the sort of plant that appears very naturally on disturbed urban ground. It is useful enough for insects while in flower, but it is also a very effective self-seeder. I am happy to tolerate a controlled clump for now, but I will remove seedlings elsewhere and cut it back before it forms fluffy seed heads.
Sow-thistle — likely
At first glance this can look rather like a dandelion, with yellow flower heads, but the plant is taller, the stems are longer and firmer, and the leafy base can look more thistle-like. It is another plant that likes disturbed ground and neglected corners. I am not treating it as a disaster, but I do want to stop it before it goes to seed. Young, leafy material can go into compost before seed forms, but fluffy seed heads are best kept out of a cold compost heap.
Common fumitory — likely
This is the delicate scrambling plant with soft, finely divided leaves and small pink-and-white tubular flowers with darker purple tips. It is actually rather pretty close up, and very typical of disturbed garden soil. I would class this as a light annual self-seeder rather than a serious thug. I may leave a little for interest, but I will pull most of it before it seeds everywhere.
Hedge mustard / wild mustard type — likely
Another yellow-flowered plant, but with much smaller flowers and a more wiry, branching habit. This is probably in the cabbage/mustard family. It is not a disaster, but it can seed around and is best pulled or cut before it gets too comfortable. If removed before seed, it can go into compost or be used as rough green material.
Wall barley / barley-grass — likely
The tall, waving grass along the wall edge looks like wall barley or a close barley-grass type. It has long bristly seed heads and is very much at home around walls, paths and neglected urban edges. This is one I am less inclined to tolerate, as it seeds readily and the dry awns can be irritating. Best removed before the seed heads mature.
Feverfew — possible in other areas
There are also ferny-leaved volunteers around the garden that may turn out to be feverfew, though these need confirming when they flower. Feverfew usually has small white daisy flowers with yellow centres and a strong, sharp scent when crushed. It is a classic self-seeder: pretty, useful in moderation, but quite capable of moving itself around the garden.
Mugwort / Artemisia-type plants — possible
Some deeply cut, aromatic leaves could also point towards mugwort or a related plant. These are worth watching carefully because some can be more persistent than simple annual weeds. A useful clue is whether the undersides of the leaves are pale or silvery and whether the plant has a strong resinous, herby smell.
Dandelions, grasses and general edge weeds
There are still some ordinary background weeds too: dandelions, grasses, path-edge seedlings and the usual mix that appears when neglected ground begins to recover. A few dandelions are excellent for pollinators, but deep taproots and fluffy seed heads mean they need managing, especially near beds and pots.
The plan
For now, I am going to keep identifying what appears, clear out the worst offenders, and stop the enthusiastic self-seeders before they go to seed. Anything with seed heads will avoid the cold compost heap. Anything leafy and seed-free can usually become compost, mulch, or weed-bucket material.
This feels like a good stage in the garden’s recovery. It is not bare, sterile or over-controlled, but it is no longer simply abandoned. Bit by bit, the balance is shifting from “whatever survived the neglect” towards “what I actually want to grow here”.
Thought for 4s
Lovely — these two are not problem weeds in the same way as the earlier ones. These look more like deliberate or self-sown pollinator plants / garden volunteers.
First photo: likely Phacelia
The pale lavender flowers with the curled, fuzzy-looking flower heads and ferny foliage look very like Phacelia tanacetifolia — often just called phacelia.
This is commonly used as:
green manure, pollinator plant, and wildlife-friendly filler.
It is excellent for bees and hoverflies. If it is where you want it, I would definitely keep it while flowering. It can self-seed, but it is usually easy enough to pull out. If you do not want it everywhere, cut it before seed fully ripens.
Register note:
Phacelia — likely
Very useful pollinator plant with pale purple/lavender flowers and ferny foliage. Keep while flowering. Cut before seed if you want to control it. Compostable before seed.
Second photo: cornflower
The bright blue-purple flowers are cornflower — Centaurea cyanus — also called bachelor’s button.
This is a proper cottage-garden / wildflower annual and well worth keeping. Bees like it, it looks great, and it fits beautifully with a recovering garden that is becoming more intentional.
It can self-seed, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I’d deadhead some to keep flowering going, and leave a few heads to seed if you want more next year.
Register note:
Cornflower — definite / very likely
Attractive annual wildflower with blue-purple thistle-like flowers. Excellent for pollinators and worth keeping. Deadhead to prolong flowering, or leave some seed heads for next year.
Also, in the second photo, the dark purple-leaved plant on the left looks like it could be shiso / perilla or possibly an ornamental purple-leaved plant. The fine feathery foliage in the background/right may be fennel, dill or cosmos-type foliage, depending on what was planted there.
add these into the post they have been sown and may also be self seededThought for a couple of seconds
Reclaiming a Neglected Garden: Weeds, Volunteers and What Comes Next
Over the last year I have been slowly bringing the garden back into shape. When I moved in, it had clearly been neglected for quite a while, and in places it had even been used for fly-tipping. Like many recovering gardens, the first stage has not been about creating perfection, but simply getting back some order: clearing rubbish, opening up paths, cutting back overgrowth, and finding out what is actually growing here.
One of the interesting things about this sort of renovation is that the plants tell part of the story. Disturbed ground, old edges, cracks, rubble, compacted soil and forgotten corners all tend to attract tough pioneer plants. Some are genuinely useful. Some are good for insects. Some are attractive enough to tolerate for a while. Others are best removed before they decide the whole garden belongs to them.
There is also another category: plants that have been deliberately sown, but are quite happy to self-seed afterwards. These are not really “weeds” in the usual sense, but they still need a bit of management. A self-seeded cornflower in the right place is a joy. A hundred self-seeded cornflowers in the wrong place might become a job.
At the moment I am trying to take a fairly balanced approach. Not every self-seeded plant is an enemy, but not every wildflower gets a free pass either. The aim is to gradually replace chaos with choice: keeping the useful or beautiful things, removing the invasive or troublesome ones, and making space for plants I actually want — herbs, fruit, vegetables, flowers for pollinators, and perhaps a more deliberate wild corner.
Main contenders so far
Oxford ragwort — likely
This is the bright yellow daisy-like plant forming big clumps along the fence edge. It looks cheerful and is the sort of plant that appears very naturally on disturbed urban ground. It is useful enough for insects while in flower, but it is also a very effective self-seeder. I am happy to tolerate a controlled clump for now, but I will remove seedlings elsewhere and cut it back before it forms fluffy seed heads.
Sow-thistle — likely
At first glance this can look rather like a dandelion, with yellow flower heads, but the plant is taller, the stems are longer and firmer, and the leafy base can look more thistle-like. It is another plant that likes disturbed ground and neglected corners. I am not treating it as a disaster, but I do want to stop it before it goes to seed. Young, leafy material can go into compost before seed forms, but fluffy seed heads are best kept out of a cold compost heap.
Common fumitory — likely
This is the delicate scrambling plant with soft, finely divided leaves and small pink-and-white tubular flowers with darker purple tips. It is actually rather pretty close up, and very typical of disturbed garden soil. I would class this as a light annual self-seeder rather than a serious thug. I may leave a little for interest, but I will pull most of it before it seeds everywhere.
Hedge mustard / wild mustard type — likely
Another yellow-flowered plant, but with much smaller flowers and a more wiry, branching habit. This is probably in the cabbage/mustard family. It is not a disaster, but it can seed around and is best pulled or cut before it gets too comfortable. If removed before seed, it can go into compost or be used as rough green material.
Wall barley / barley-grass — likely
The tall, waving grass along the wall edge looks like wall barley or a close barley-grass type. It has long bristly seed heads and is very much at home around walls, paths and neglected urban edges. This is one I am less inclined to tolerate, as it seeds readily and the dry awns can be irritating. Best removed before the seed heads mature.
Phacelia — sown, and possibly self-seeding
The soft, ferny-leaved plant with pale lavender flowers is phacelia. This is one of the good ones: a useful green manure, a beautiful pollinator plant, and very popular with bees and hoverflies. It may have been sown deliberately, but once established it can also self-seed in a friendly sort of way. I am happy to keep it while flowering, but if I do not want it spreading too widely I will cut it back before seed ripens.
Cornflower — sown, and possibly self-seeding
The blue-purple flowers are cornflowers, also known as bachelor’s buttons. These are very welcome in the garden: cheerful, colourful, easy-going and good for pollinators. They may have been sown, but they are also quite capable of reappearing from seed in future years. I will deadhead some to keep them flowering, but probably leave a few seed heads to encourage more next year.
Feverfew — possible in other areas
There are also ferny-leaved volunteers around the garden that may turn out to be feverfew, though these need confirming when they flower. Feverfew usually has small white daisy flowers with yellow centres and a strong, sharp scent when crushed. It is a classic self-seeder: pretty, useful in moderation, but quite capable of moving itself around the garden.
Mugwort / Artemisia-type plants — possible
Some deeply cut, aromatic leaves could also point towards mugwort or a related plant. These are worth watching carefully because some can be more persistent than simple annual weeds. A useful clue is whether the undersides of the leaves are pale or silvery and whether the plant has a strong resinous, herby smell.
Dandelions, grasses and general edge weeds
There are still some ordinary background weeds too: dandelions, grasses, path-edge seedlings and the usual mix that appears when neglected ground begins to recover. A few dandelions are excellent for pollinators, but deep taproots and fluffy seed heads mean they need managing, especially near beds and pots.
The plan
For now, I am going to keep identifying what appears, clear out the worst offenders, and stop the enthusiastic self-seeders before they go to seed. Anything with seed heads will avoid the cold compost heap. Anything leafy and seed-free can usually become compost, mulch, or weed-bucket material.
The sown wildflowers and pollinator plants are different. Things like phacelia and cornflower are welcome, but even welcome plants need guiding. I want the garden to feel abundant, not abandoned.
This feels like a good stage in the garden’s recovery. It is not bare, sterile or over-controlled, but it is no longer simply neglected. Bit by bit, the balance is shifting from “whatever survived the neglect” towards “what I actually want to grow here”.