My lawn is being over run by a plant I believe may be in the mint family that blooms small, light purple flowers. It doesn't get very tall, seldom taller than the grass. It's in bloom now & once done will not bloom again this year (at least I don't recall seeing more blooming in previous years.) I'm in northern IL.

Now, I don't mind it, in fact we like the blooms & the fact that it doesn't grow as tall as the grass. But my neighbor maintains a very nice garden of ornamentals and would like to stop its encroachment into his yard. I'd like to make a barrier of a foot or so along our border. What would be the best herbicide to eliminate it along my border but allow it to remain elsewhere? And what would be a good barrier to keep it away from that border?

Thanks,

DD

Be careful with the "H" word on these groups Danny. I would suggest a physical barrier. Something like lawn edging (make sure it is either continuous or well overlapped). If your plant is spreading by roots/rhizomes, the edging should be able to stop it from spreading into your neighbors "golf course" (who said that).

Sounds like ground ivy to me. It takes a physical barrier and diligence in hand pulling it to control it in my area. Around here even the responsible non organic people don't really suggest attempting to control it with chemicals. The chemicals will only "burn it back" and damage desirable plants.

Carol

Is this it? We have henbit in our lawn and I've always thought it was pretty. It is invasive though and now I wonder if I should start pulling or something. Need to read more on controlling it. But it sounds like this is what you have. With a name you can at least research what to do about it.

It sounds like the ground Ivy I have. Tne Chem lawn next door isn't effected by the Ground Ivy. Read my thread about ground ivy.

Mints have square stems. Take a Piece of the plant, with the stem and look at it. Is the stem round? If so, it's not mint. If it is square, it's some sort of mint (and there are many kinds). Not all mints smell good, but many do.

As for barriers, yank as much of it out as you can, then use some metal (like roof flashing) and put it at least a foot deep, and have it extend up out of the ground too. Keep trimming back any sprouts. You can use a torch on things that grow in the wrong place, rather than some sort of chemical (remember, this site is the hangout for organic gardeners, and chemical are not something we discuss here, except to discuss why it's use is bad).

sounds like creeping charlie, which is a terribly invasive weed that will eventually take over your yard (and possibly the world!). it's also incredibly difficult to get rid of. i've read that if the invasion is severe, it may be better just to rip up the lawn and completely resod! yikes!!
(speaking as someone with a pretty severe invasion in her yard this year. . .)

as i'm sure you've noticed, creeping charlie is also very hard to hand pull because of the intricate web of roots and rhizomes it forms. one site i looked at, when trying to figure out what to do about mine, said that very, very thick grass can choke out or prevent the weed.

google "creeping charlie," and you'll find lots of info on it as well as ID pictures.

good luck -- i know i'll need it!

Thanks for the advise, I think it is creeping charlie. Has the square stem and matches the pictures.

When I referred to herbicide I mean of the organic variety. The neighbor asked to use synthetic, Roundup type on my side. I've got kids that use the yard & my veggie beds nearby. I said no to that but am willing to help slow their spread to his side. I think manually pulling them is the best option to create a barrier of sorts along our border. They don't bother me on our side and are easy enough to keep out of my beds. My lawn was treated by chemlawn type service before we owned and had little or none of this plant when we moved in.

DD

Yep definitely Creeping Charlie. cousin to creeping jenny and bugleweed and other mints. It is a really beautiful plant but will kill your lawn over a period of just a few years. Indians supposedly used it to treat headaches. The plants give me one. sometimes blooms are pink depending on how acidc the soil..i too live in northern IL.. i learned about this plant the first week I moved here. That and the box elder bug scourge.