'Embracing weeds is woke': Gardening expert says killing weeds is 'old-fashioned'

Most of us have memories of pulling up dandelions in an attempt to help our parents "de-weed" the garden, though if you're like me you couldn't understand how such delightful flowers could ever be considered weeds.

Rachel De Thame, Gardeners' World presenter who is part of the BBC team covering the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the UK, is just like us. She's now calling for everyone to start embracing weeds, even calling it "woke" to do so.

During an interview with Radio Times, De Thame was asked if embracing the so-called pests was somehow "woke", to which she replied: "It may seem like that to some, but it's just about being aware and accepting that we, as humans, are not the only important beings in the environment in which we live."

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"A lot of people still want their garden to look cared for, and for many that means pulling out all the weeds, but I really do think there's a compromise to be found.

"I read something just the other day about killing your weeds and it felt old-fashioned," she added. "The zeitgeist is very much along the lines of putting nature first".

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De Thame is not the only one to think so. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year will even feature weeds in an attempt to rebrand them as "resilient plants".

Garden manager at RHS Wisley in Surrey, Sheila Das, even added that gardeners should refer to them as "weed heroes".

De Thame has done so for years in her own garden, with one corner of her private land having become a meadow of various grasses and wildflowers.

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"Watching the weeds come in has been a revelation," she said, "Insects are amazing and I'm so glad that my garden has more weeds in it now than ever. They make my heart sing."