Have they lost the plot? Gardeners flood specialist website with demand for WEEDS including dandelions and stinging nettles

Gardeningexpress.co.uk is selling weeds and wildflowers to environment-conscious gardeners

Sprays used on more exotic plants is destroying bee population



Specialist website taking orders for delivery in October

If you’ve run out of excuses to avoid weeding the garden, here’s a new one.

Far from digging weeds up, gardeners have actually started buying them to grow in their lawns and flowerbeds.

Dandelion plants for £3.99 each, buttercups for £5.99 and even stinging nettles for £7.99 in a two-litre container are all being offered by a garden website.

Gardeners are keen to buy weeds and wildflowers like dandelions which help keep the country's bee population thriving

Demand for dandelions and buttercups has been so strong the firm has sold out.

Gardeningexpress.co.uk sells the products in a section headed Weeds and Wildlife Plants, but Chris Bonnet from the website said: ‘Some call them weeds but we don’t want to hurt their feelings. After all, a weed is only a plant in the wrong place.

‘For urban gardeners who want to do their bit for the nation’s wildlife they’re an absolute must. Many varieties are even edible for humans too, full of vitamins and minerals.’

Traditionally, the epitome of a perfect garden has been a manicured lawn surrounded by flowerbeds filled with prize blooms.

Gardeningexpress.co.uk is selling buttercup plants at £5.99 each. They will be taking orders for delivery in October

Stinging nettle plants are being sold by the online retailer for £7.99 each. Many people are planting them in their gardens as they provide food for caterpillars

The gardening website sells other, more exotic blooms alongside weeds and wildflowers

But a number of the chemical sprays used to help achieve the effect have been implicated in the demise of bees. Now a new generation of gardeners is creating patches of urban wilderness in an attempt to encourage the struggling honey bee as well as other insects and wildlife.

Dandelions provide just such a high-quality food source, and can, of course, also be used to make wine. Another versatile weed is the stinging nettle, which can be used to make soups and teas – with recipes popularised by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Stewed nettle leaves are thought to alleviate pain caused by arthritis, gout and rheumatism – and are also an effective digestive aid. Rich in vitamins, nettles can also encourage butterflies.

Buttercups, although attractive, are often viewed by farmers and gardeners as a troublesome weed. The larvae of some species of moth use them as food – but they can harm humans if eaten in large quantities. Their sap can also cause skin to burn.

Mr Bonnet said: ‘While plants such as buttercups and dandelions may seem like pests in the middle of a lawn, if they are cultivated in a flowerbed they can look beautiful and really enhance a garden.’

He added: ‘Demand has been astounding. We are having to clear extra space in our nursery so we can grow more.’