It is not the plant itself that is the problem but what demands it may make on the soil the tree is in.

Garden thugs: potential nuisance plants, they may look attractive initially around your trees but they very quickly get out of hand and take nutrients from your trees. Small bamboos, reeds and grasses come into this category – they start small and attractive and very quickly run amok.

Most gardeners are aware of the problems caused by weeds, but there are garden plants - readily available to buy – that equally have the potential to become a nuisance. Gardeners may buy these 'thug' plants unaware that, once established and given the right growing conditions, they can run amok.

Remove weeds from the surface, do it when the soil is moist and ensure you get the entire root system or they will rapidly regenerate.

Weed problems arise from two main causes, long regenerating root systems that can spread up to the equivalent of 6 feet from the plant, remember that means round and round and round again inside you bonsai pot. Even the tiniest bit of white root remaining can restart another plant.

The second type of weed control needed is in the case of seed heads bursting and spreading the weeds to surrounding plants.

You need to remove the weeds before seed heads develop or the seeds will lie dormant in the compost to grow in a future year.