Can anyone identify this for me please

[Palustris]

Sorry if I made it seem impossible. We HAVE cleared it from the other end of the garden just by digging it out. And believe me that area is not the easiest place to remove roots from, the soil is a nice mix of scrap metal, broken glass, bits of batteries and all the debris from a 1st World War field hospital. I even found one plant growing up through a hobnail boot! It is just a question of time and effort to do it really.

[SusanS]

Sorry if I made it seem impossible. We HAVE cleared it from the other end of the garden just by digging it out. And believe me that area is not the easiest place to remove roots from, the soil is a nice mix of scrap metal, broken glass, bits of batteries and all the debris from a 1st World War field hospital. I even found one plant growing up through a hobnail boot! It is just a question of time and effort to do it really.

Yuk - I'd be worried about what I might find digging on an old hospital site. 

I'm sure the plant can be removed eventually, as you say it will just take time and effort - at the moment I look at the borders, scratch my head and wonder where on earth to start.  I can't really get stuck in until July, so I am going for the option of weakening the weeds etc as best I can first.  As you all know, many of the weeds on the site can be propagated by root cuttings, hence the need to weaken everything before I start digging, otherwise I will only make matters worse. 

Susan