There's no sting in this garden tale

Nettles and weeds are seen as horticultural pests but green fingers can reap numerous benefits from them

UNRULY and unsightly, they are the bane of keen gardeners' lives for their irritating habit of popping up with frustrating regularity just where they are least wanted.

Cultivated flower beds become choked, weeds poke out between paving slabs and then wave their jaggy leaves in mockery at the strongest chemical solution that B&Q can legally sell.

Until now, a patch of nettles at the bottom of the garden or a dandelion invasion on the lawn were as welcome as next door's cat using your prize rose patch for a litter tray.

And as for the creeping nuisance created by a patch of chickweed, a plant that can survive, flower and seed even under snow, only death by rake, shovel, blood and sweat was good enough.

All of which has Roslin Glen-based medical herbalist and horticulturist Julie Cook in despair. Weeds, she insists, are among our best friends, to be nurtured, harvested and then chewed on or swilled in a warming drink to cure aches, pains and ailments.

Hard to believe, perhaps, but for Julia there is little more delightful than a spot of vigorous weeding followed by picking over her spoils of dandelions, nettles, chickweed and plantain and turning it into a remedy, lotion or even, indeed, dinner.

"Weeds are wonderful," she announces. "In fact, the weeds we love to hate are often the most beneficial to us.

"Around 50 to 75 per cent of the drugs are plant derived or inspired by plant medicine from the past. And 80 per cent of the global population still use herbal medicine as their primary healthcare, not because they are poor countries, but because they prefer them.

"Even the weeds that grow in our gardens and hedgerows that we all can identify, can do amazing things," she adds. "Nettles, for instance, they're brilliant!"

Not so brilliant if you happen to fall over in them, but according to Julia, who tomorrow will lead the first of a short series of walks through central Edinburgh pointing out the benefits of the humble weeds that crowd our kerbs, wasteground and gardens, nettles are the very solution for that other curse of the gardener – hay fever.

"You do have to be careful though," she warns. "Wash what you pick and don't harvest from the side of roads. And remember nothing is benign, take too much and it can be harmful."

So don't simply reach for the weedkiller to tackle your overgrown, weed-choked garden beds. Learn how pesky plants could be good for your health.

Dandelions

Brace yourself, for the UK is in the grip of an invasion from the yellow perils. Wet weather followed by sunny conditions has triggered an unusually high number.

"It's not all bad," says herbalist Julia Cook. "For dandelions are a garden gem when it comes to curing all manner of ills – and they're even tasty.

"The leaves have a slight bitter taste," she says. "People pay a fortune for rocket in their salad – but you could eat dandelion leaves.

"The leaves are mineral rich, high in potassium and vitamins A, B, C and D. They are very good for the bowel."

Herbalists use the leaf as the basis for healing tinctures to help lower high blood pressure. Even the root has benefits for treating digestive problems.

Nettles