Weeds - Alkanet

Yes, I know it's got a pretty blue flower! But alkanet is an aggressive weed, and I have seen a garden full of alkanet with nothing else growing there.

It has soft leaves with a rough feeling surface, small blue flowers, and a large tap root, going down quite far. If you remove the top without removing the root, it just carries on growing. But it spreads through seeds rather than through its root.

The leaves look very similar to foxgloves. But foxglove leaves have a smooth surface, while alkanet leaves feel slightly prickly. Foxglove roots don't have a tap root, either, although of course you've dug it up by that time! But you can always replant the foxglove if you've made a mistake. Alkanet leaves can be slightly spotted, as well.

Weed by removing the whole plant, root and all, using a trowel if necessary to make sure you dig deep enough to get the root.

Showing the root and that wasn't all of it!

Click on photos for large version.