I’m a garden expert and here’s the helpful weed you DO want in your garden – it helps your lawn and flowers thrive
WHEN it comes to sprucing up your garden for summer, it's unlikely you're picturing it covered in weeds.
Instead, most people are looking to kill off the persistent lawn and patio invaders that often grow back if you fail to treat them correctly.
But a green-fingered expert has insisted there is one so-called weed that you should leave in your garden to help it thrive.
Scotland Grows Magazine editor, M.T. O’Donnell has urged people to rediscover their love for dandelions instead of trying to get rid of them.
She said the bright yellow plant was once considered a beloved garden flower across Europe and had an array of horticultural fans in Japan who tried to develop new varieties of it.
And if it's lurking in your flower beds or on your grass, it could actually be helping the soil.
M.T. said: "It naturalises in lawns, and its wide-spreading roots loosen hard-packed soil, aerate the earth, and help reduce erosion.
"As well as pulling nutrients such as calcium from deep in the soil to make available to other plants."
Experts are the Royal Horticultural Society, the UK's leading gardening charity, have also argued in favour of the humble dandelion.
They say that the nectar-rich flowers are loved by bees and butterflies, making it the perfect wildlife plant, while the seeds are eaten by small birds.
They said: "Their value to wildlife, providing food to many insects and birds, is perhaps the main reason why they should be welcomed in our gardens.
"Their nectar- and pollen-rich flowers appear over a long period and are loved by bees and butterflies."
But if you are still determined to rid your garden of weeds like dandelions, a green thumb has dished the details on their homemade concoction that kills them in two hours.
She mixed white vinegar, salt, and washing up liquid in a spray bottle to tackle the problem.
"This is a more natural solution for your pets and your family," she said.
And it's proved a popular choice with gardening fans.
"As a landscape contractor and designer for 30 years I’ve switched to this it works," one wrote.
"Great for side walks, patios, driveways, and the house foundation," another added.
"Yes, I have been doing this this summer and it has been so good," said a third.