The benefits of Horny Goat Weed explored

17:05:20 15th May 2008

Horny Goat Weed, or Epimedium, can help to effectively cover bare patches under trees, gardening expert Jane Owen explains.

Writing in the online pages of the Times, she notes that the low-growing plant is best suited to a rich compost which preferably has a great deal of leaf mould in it.

Ms Owen states that many species of the plant are evergreen, adding that some of those which are not so will hold onto their leaves until new ones begin to appear in the springtime.

Eco-gardeners could well be tempted to use a variety of the flora as a weapon against weeds as the expert notes that E. x perralchicum grows very densely and draws so much moisture from the soil that other plants can find it hard to grow.

Meanwhile, the BBC's gardening pages note that all varieties of Epimedium are highly resilient to attacks from diseases and pests.