Bob Hobden wrote:
The real "Nick Maclaren" wrote in reply to Mandy P

2nd question, I have privet hedges down both sides of the
garden,
the bottom of which is overgrown with a weed that I'm told is
called Mayors tail. [...]

Horsetail or Mare's tail (Equisetum). That area is damp. [...]


We have Mare's Tail on both our allotments and I agree with Nick,
it's
virtually impossible to eradicate especially as it has a skin that
weedkillers simply can't penetrate and black roots that go down to
Australia.
[...]

Highly appropriate, if we'd been able to ask my father: his
unfavourite uncle was mayor of Brisbane, and I reckon my old Daddy
would have loved the idea of Mayor's tail, especially if you could
have added a pair of cloven hooves!

Mike.