Monty Don warns gardeners of ‘impossible’ weed that needs ‘burning’

Monty Don is warning spring gardeners of an ‘impossible’ weed they should watch out for, as it can be difficult to get rid of. The professional gardener and TV star spoke about the ‘invasive’ weed in an upcoming episode of Gardeners’ World.

The popular TV show is returning to screens for a new 2026 series Friday (March 13) at 8pm on BBC. During today’s (March 10) episode of Morning Live, hosts Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton welcomed Monty Don to the studio via a live webcam feed as they discussed the returning TV programme.

At the end of the segment, viewers were shown a glimpse of episode one of the new series. Monty Don highlighted a weed spring gardeners should be on the lookout for.

Holding up some couch grass he had just pulled out of the ground, he told viewers: “It’s a really successful plant, and once it gets established, it takes over.

“Couch grass is something that will work its way into the roots of other plants. That’s its real problem in a [grass] border. If it works its way into perennials and shrubs, let alone into hedges, it is almost impossible to get out.”

Couch grass (Elytrigia repens) stands out in spring because it grows early, often before other plants, making it a very noticeable weed. Even though it is a perennial that can grow from spring to autumn, the fastest and most visible growth occurs as temperatures start to warm in spring.

Monty Don added: “It is quite brittle. So if you leave any bit of it in the ground, it will reproduce. So we try to take out as much of that and burn it. Don’t put it on the compost heap.”

Couch grass tends to be a problem mainly in places where gardeners grow things, such as gardens and vegetable patches. In these areas, couch grass spreads quickly, forming thick mats of underground stems. The biggest issue happens when it starts to grow through the roots of garden plants, making it really hard to get rid of.

Gardeners’ World says: “In a lawn, couch grass is less of a problem, because regular mowing keeps its growth in check. However, be aware that its underground stems are likely to spread into adjacent beds and borders.”

It’s worth keeping in mind that couch grass is good for wildlife: its leaves serve as food for caterpillars of various butterflies and moths, and the clumps offer shelter for other small creatures like beetles.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), couch grass has long been considered a weed by gardeners as, unlike other coarse grasses, it often grows among and through border plants as well as in lawns and on allotments. It adds: “Those wishing to maintain immaculate, uniform lawns and tidy borders are likely to want to remove couch grass before it becomes established and spreads.

“However, couch grass is an important source of food for butterfly and moth caterpillars, including those of speckled wood and ringlet butterflies. Its swaying flower and seed heads also look attractive when grown in a meadow or species-rich lawn. As gardeners embrace ‘ecological gardening’ and welcome a wider range of species into their gardens, couch grass is increasingly seen as a wildflower.”