Senecio vulgaris
8th October 2011
The genus Senecio is enormous and diverse and that is a good enough reason to include this,
the weediest of annual weeds. It doesn't grow here naturally, it prefers dryish disturbed soil
and is intolerant of wet bramble patches. On an expedition to a nursery in London I bought a couple of plants potted
in a mix containing a proportion of the local loam (they weren't quite growing in mud but the mix was clearly
an economical one). They were planted out, and in the rootballs a few Groundsel have germinated. It is so many years
since I have gardened with it that I am happy to let it seed where it will. If I believed for one moment that it would
establish here I would yank it out and stamp the life from its stinking stems, but it won't. Too wet.