Start the week with a Colerne Wildflower No 78. Field bindweed, Convolulus arvensis and Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium.

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I can sense our Gardeners shudder at the word Bindweed, so will don my tin hat. It is a shame they are such masters of spreading as it can blind us to their beauty. They would otherwise, I think, be much in demand in our ghardens.


We have three native species; the small flowered Field Bindweed with candy-striped  pink or white flowers, mainly seen on our verges but a problem invader of crops and sometimes lawns; the larger, usually white Hedge Bindweed, a more effective climber of hedges which can smother garden plants if allowed to “get away”, and the pretty Sea Bindweed Calystegia soldanella which helps stabilise sand dunes Sea bindweed. There is also the now common Large Bindweed, Calystegia sylvatica, introduced as a pretty garden plant which quickly jumped the garden wall in the 19th century. You can tell them apart from hedge bindweed as the green bractioles overlap in the Large bindweed, but show the underlying sepals in Hedge bindweed ( Photos 5 and 6). A nuance of little relevance to an invaded gardener!


They have a fabulous collection of local names which overlap the different species. I found well over a hundred. Some, such as Hellweed and Devil’s Garter show our ancestors shared our frustration with these canny plants. The Romans called it volucrum majus... "a large worm that wraps itself in vines". Other names celebrate their beauty eg Hedge Lily.  I love Fairies’ umbrella and Fairies’ wine-cups for Field Bindweed, both from Somerset. “Polly had a dolly and her head popped off” and various versions of “Granny hop out of bed”  come from the children’s game of pressing on the green base to launch the white flower. Does anyone still do that!?


Bindweeds are doing very well this year, There is an explosion of them along our verges and hedgerows.  They love sun, and thrive with the extra nutrition they receive from our car emissions. 


Both bindweed species are food plants for the Convolvulus hawkmoth. Eighty insect species use field bindweed. A lower number rely on Hedge bindweed, but it does attract the lovely elephant hawk-moth and is important for many other moths. 


Bindweed may be infuriating, but is also lovely and important support for our pollinators. Give it some space if you can. Here is some good advice on how to keep it in check. Bindweed control. RHS advice