Among the plants and weeds that gardeners hate the most, bindweed is a strong contender. Bindweed is the common name for Convolvulus arvensis, a quick growing weed which grows by curling and twisting around anything it can find, to reach upwards for light.

Unchecked, bindweed can grow to be many metres high as this weed spirals around trees and leaves on its way upwards. In flowering season, the weed creates quite pretty white flowers, but this plant really is a terrible pest in the garden and, if it is not controlled, it can quickly take over borders. Not many garden plants can compete with its aggressive growth rate.

What many people do not know, is that the bind weed can stretch underground to a depth of up to five metres, and that it runs shoots or stems off in all directions under the soil. These underground shoots are typically white in colour and can be found at many depths in the soil. At various points, the bindweed will send up new shoots which then can also climb any plants in the area.

The bind weed is very distinctive with broad leaves in a kind of "spade" shape. These leaves form and grow very quickly, and, if left unchecked, will swamp out any smaller shrubs and flowers in the garden with ease.

The problem of the bindweed is a very difficult one because even the smallest amount left in the ground can grow into a complete new system very quickly. This means that eradication is very difficult indeed. Additionally, even if you were to remove all of the sections from your own garden, it is highly likely that there will be parts of the plant in neighbouring gardens or fields, and so over a short space of time the weed will be back again.

So, what is a gardener to do? Initially the best course of action is to carefully, and persistently, dig and hoe out all of the bindweed from your garden. Over the course of a few years, with almost weekly removal of the plant, the bindweed can be completely controlled, but as mentioned, new growths will eventually return. Some have suggested that a strong and deep vertical barrier should be inserted underground between your garden and neighbouring areas. This way, you can keep your own garden bindweed free more easily.

The fastest period of growth for this weed is in the early spring months. This is the time to be extra-vigilant and dig out ALL of the new shoots as they appear. In this way, you can hope for a less troublesome summer, when your own plants flourish. The aim is to weaken the plant as much as possible - but you really do need to keep your eyes peeled for the slightest sign of the bindweed returning.

One thing to watch out for when manually removing the bindweed, is that it has extremely brittle stems, and this seems to be a "design feature" of this weed. If you are not careful, you can break the plant low down at the ground, leaving the root structure in place, and a new plant will quickly come back in its place. The only sure way to remove the plant this way, is to physically dig out the root structures, following them wherever they lead to.

If you are really suffering with a bindweed infestation, you should probably consider a chemical approach to removing the weed effectively. The use of a non selective weed killer, such as glyphosate, can be carefully applied to the broad leaves of the bindweed, being careful not to treat your wanted plants and the surrounding area. This weed killer is absorbed into the leaf and then is carried to the rest of the plant. This action is essential to kill the underground portions of the bindweed plant.

When spraying the plant, your aim should be to cover as much of the leaf surface as possible, and along the whole length of the weed, this way the weed killer is absorbed more quickly and in larger quantities into the plant.

Bindweed is a really nasty weed - good luck in eliminating it.