Nettle (Urtica dioica / stinging nettle)

A nettle patch can be a menace or an asset, depending on your point of view, and the size of your garden. Photograph copyright — Patsy Collins

Urtica dioica is probably not a plant that many people wish to encourage into their garden as it’s an invasive weed. It does have useful properties though and is valuable to wildlife, so if you’re fortunate enough to have a large garden, consider including it in an out of the way corner or as part of a wild area. If nettles aren’t already present in the garden, they may be grown from seed collected from the wild, or by…