We had a phone call from an elderly lady about eradication of Japanese Knotweed in Ripley, she believed the Japanese Knotweed had infested the vegetable patch at the bottom of her garden.
She was very worried and quite upset as she had read an article in one of the broadsheets and she was convinced that she had it taking over her garden. I managed to allay her fears and agreed to go out the very next day to take a look at it.
When I arrived in Ripley she was still fretting and took me straight to the bottom of her garden where she presented me with the problem weed. I was presented with a plant approximately 0.8m tall with a hollow stem and when pulling it up the roots were yellowish. She said “See Japanese knotweed” she seemed quite pleased with herself on the one hand and distraught on the other. I however just turned around and said, “This is Rumex obtusifolius otherwise known as broad-leaved doc.” I can’t tell you how delighted she was that she did not have Japanese knotweed in her little garden in Ripley.
