Coltsfoot is popping up all over my new flower beds. Is there any way to get rid of it without resorting to chemical weedkillers, which I don’t want to use for environmental reasons? RJ, Kilkenny

Known as coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), this widespread, vigorous, herbaceous perennial species of wild flower and medicinal herb is easily identifiable by its dandelion-like yellow flowers and large, scalloped, heart-shaped, grey-green leaves, which are covered with a layer of soft, felty white hairs. Other common names for it used around the world include coughwort, assfoot, horsefoot, foalfoot, bull’s-foot, horsehoof, colt-herb, clayweed, cleats, dove-dock, dummyweed, ginger, ginger root, hoofs, sowfoot and British tobacco.

Its flowers are loved by honey bees, while its leaves are also an important larval food for some species of moths. It’s also valued as a traditional remedy for ailments of the respiratory system and was once a common ingredient in cough syrups. But coltsfoot can easily become a stubborn weed in the wrong setting, quickly spreading by means of its rhizomatous root system. These brittle, fleshy rhizomes are capable of tolerating even very poor soils and can remain dormant in the ground for long periods and can penetrate as deeply as a metre into the soil.

Eradicating it entirely from your garden without resorting to weedkiller will be very challenging, some would say impossible. But given time and with a vigilant approach, it can be controlled. Rather than attempting to dig up the root system, which runs the risk of spreading it further, make a point of very regularly pulling out any leaves and flower stems as they appear, starting from when the plant first starts to emerge above the ground in mid spring. Regular hoeing will also help. This manual method of weedkiller will slowly exhaust the plants and weaken their root systems. For obvious reasons, it’s also crucial not to allow plants to flower in order to prevent them from producing fresh, viable seed. Best of luck!