Something you hear a lot is that weeds are just plants in the wrong place. But what is the wrong place? And how do you get rid of them if they are in it?

I recently saw a social media post warning people that the council were spraying weed killer locally over half term. They were concerned that children and pets might play where it was sprayed, and disappointed about the disregard for wildlife.

I was surprised that the vast majority of responses were mocking the poster for complaining about nothing, or stating a preference for a ‘nice’ looking town. Personally, I’d rather see some long grass and wildflowers than the brown chemical-burn patches we end up with.
This is in Cheltenham where I understand the borough council has been reducing the use of glyphosate – the increasingly controversial and widely available herbicide – over the past couple of years. Stroud District Council has been reducing pesticide use for 10 years, shifting to manual methods.

The Pesticide Action Network UK lists 48 towns and districts (none in Gloucestershire) which have banned glyphosate and moved to pesticide-free methods, or committed to doing so. Globally, there is a large movement to stop using pesticides. This includes a ban of all non-agricultural pesticides across the whole of France, as well as many cities across Europe, Canada and the US.

Reducing pollution and improving drainage

So what makes glyphosate so bad? There is some debate about human health concerns, which I will let you make your own minds up about. Environmentally, reducing pesticides and allowing growth reduces pollution, improves drainage, and supports our local wildlife.
I mean pollinators of course, but by allowing ‘weeds’ or areas of grass to grow longer we also provide shelter and food plants for other beneficial creatures.

These areas do get messy and can be mown or tidied without weed killer at the appropriate time of year after the flowering season (around now).

As we become more aware of the effects of climate change and the plight of our native species and beneficial insects, there seems to be a growing national trend for more wildlife-friendly spaces (I’ve noticed this locally – nice work CBC!).

Although there are clearly still people who prefer a tidy town, there is an increasing number of people who are rooting for weeds and wildflowers. If this sounds like you, check out Pesticide Free Cheltenham (on Facebook), a new group working with Cheltenham Borough Council to help phase out chemical use.

Not Cheltenham based? Have a look at pan-uk.org for more information and how to get your town involved.