Confused homeowner turns to internet for advice after spying mysterious growth in yard: 'I'd leave it'

A homeowner spied a mysterious growth in their yard and turned to the internet for advice.

On the r/GardeningUK subreddit, the bewildered gardener shared two photos of their plant that looked a little like an enlarged clover, taking over a more muddy patch of their yard.

"Help please: what is this weed and how best to remove it before sowing grass seed in spring?" they asked.

People in the comments quickly surmised that the mystery plant was creeping buttercup, a native species to the United Kingdom. 

"I think it's creeping buttercup. If so unfortunately i can just suggest pulling up as much as you can, digging the roots out where you need to," one person wrote, adding that though they grow fast. "The runners come out of the soil pretty easily."

They added: "I generally leave it in my lawn now as the flowers are nice, but appreciate that especially when sowing grass seeds you may not want this."

As another commenter noted: "The roots on these can be right buggers."

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, creeping buttercup favors wet soil and supports pollinators like birds, bees, and beetles. The organization acknowledged that some gardeners see it as a weed because of how quickly it spreads and its ability to overgrow and block out other plants, but the RHS encourages people to let it grow while managing its spread.

Embracing native plants, even ones considered to be weeds, can be beneficial to your lawn environmentally by supporting wildlife, but it also benefits your wallet. Native plant lawns, like clover and buffalo grass, are low-maintenance and require less water and resources, including skipping or lowering the use of pesticides and fertilizers. 

What's the worst thing about taking care of your yard? The time it takes ⏰ How noisy it is 🙉 It's too expensive 💸 I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Though many had suggestions for the confused gardener on how to get rid of the creeping buttercup, others encouraged them to leave it on their lawn.

"Creeping buttercup. I'd leave it - the flowers are lovely," one person wrote. 

Another suggested: "If that's meant to be a lawn you aren't fussy then just mow it- throw some grass seed and some prunella and have a meadowed lawn."

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