Chelsea Flower Show: Weeds to be rebranded 'hero' plants
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Weeds like these thistles are going to be front stage at the Chelsea Flower Show this year
Weeds tend to get a pretty bad rep, and are often seen as a bit of a problem if you have them in your garden.
But the famous Chelsea Flower Show - which begins 22 May - is trying to give them a bit of a rebrand! At this year's show, weeds will be known as hero plants.
Four of the 12 gardens that will be on display at the show will feature weeds, such as brambles and thistles, to highlight how beneficial they can actually be for our gardens and meadows.
Sheila Das, a garden manager at Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Wisley in Surrey, said gardeners should stop using the term "weeds" in a derogatory way and instead refer to "weed heroes" or "superweeds", while Tom Massey at the Royal Entomological Society (RES) said he regarded weeds as "resilient plants".
Take our quiz to see how many common UK weeds YOU recognise!
If you cannot see the quiz, click here.
What's so good about weeds?
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
Because of this, people have been encouraged to "rewild" their back gardens, and on a bigger scale, parts of the UK countryside.
Rewilding is all about returning land and oceans to a more natural - or wilder - state
This often means doing nothing and letting nature take over to create more biodiverse areas
Often animals or plants are introduced to an area, including species or similar species, that might have lived there previously but do not any more
Chemicals, fertilisers and worming tablets are not used on the land or animals living there either
Wildflower meadows are a crucial habitat that support lots of insects including bees, beetles and butterflies, which then support many small animals and birds.
Bringing back wild plants to areas also means leaving weeds alone, as lots of different species rely on them for food and shelter.
Lots of species of bees have been declining worldwide, which is a bad thing for plants in the UK as they help pollinate them and spread seeds so more can grow.
Dandelions, which are a common UK weed you might initially think to get rid of, are a really good source of food for bees.
In fact, one study published in 2022 said that weeds were actually twice as likely to attract bees and other insects than flowers.
Not only that, weeds can actually tell you a lot about what your soil is like, which can help you pick what to plant in it.
"If you've got a weed, it's telling you what's going on underground. Your weed is your adviser. It's your friend," Sheila said.
But there are some that can cause real issues if you find them in a garden. Japanese knotweed for example can be very invasive, and grows really quickly.
Do you know your plants and weeds? Try our quiz above and let us know how you got on in the comments...
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