Selfheal

What is it?

Selfheal, also known as Prunella Vulgaris, is a weed that is very common in Britain, especially on unkempt lawns. It has a visually appealing violet-blue flower with creeping underground stems. The weeds stems are square in shape and are slightly hairy when in their undeveloped stages. These begin to smooth out once the plant matures. The leaves of the Selfheal are smooth from the offset and slightly pointed at the tip. A wet environment is where you will see this plant thrive. It can be seen as a bit of a nuisance weed however they can be planted to provide a bit of colour to any garden and they will even attract bees and butterflies.

When do they flower?

Mid - late summer.

Treatment and Control

Culturally

If you solely chose to culturally remove this weed it may be difficult to eradicate fully. Removing the weed by hand can be tried; however this may lead to a repetitive cycle to keep it in check. We would instead recommend chemically tackling this woeful weed.

Chemically

There are different weed killers available on the market today, it does just depend on how heavily affected your garden is. We thought we’d make it slightly easier and provide a bit of advice for small areas (where you may have the odd unsightly weed) and larger areas (where it’s an overgrown area, vastly populated by the overpowering little blighters).

Small Areas: Glyphosate, applied sparingly with spray (be wary of overspray), sponge or paint brush. Be careful to avoid getting any on the lawn, as Glyphosate will leave your lawn brown and patchy.

Larger Areas: Use selective weed killer such as Westland Resolva Concentrate as it targets the weed and won’t kill the lawn.

Did you know?

• Self-Heal has been used to help certain ailments, and was originally used as a remedy for sore throats and other slight ailments.