Nettles - friend or foe?
Nettles, (Urtica dioica), are one of the pernicious weeds that have sneaked into my garden when I wasn't looking. Fortunately for me there are just a few patches, as getting rid of them without herbicides is a long-haul war of attrition. The yellow roots form an impenetrable tangled network which irritatingly snap when pulled, and even the tiniest piece left will spawn new nettle shoots. They will smother less vigorous plants (ie almost every other plant in my garden) pretty