Type: Perennial Broadleaf
Height: 30 – 80 cm (12-32in)
Flowering Time: June – July
What’s it like?
A colourful plant with a long sparse stem. It has strong roots that can be difficult to pull out. The flowers have nectar at the bottom of the long stem which bees and butterflies can access. The plants usually have blue flowers but there are other varieties in shades of pink, purple, white, and some almost black.
Why is it a problem for your lawn?
This weed will self-sows freely. A greedy plant that inhibits the growth of nearby plants. Attracts red spider mites to the garden which will then move on to any nearby crops such as strawberries, apples and pears. All or parts of this plant are poisonous.
Control
Deadhead plants after flowering. The roots are very strong and can be difficult to remove entirely. Removing seedlings before they have a chance to spread or flower and set seed is obviously the ideal solution. However, if you are faced with a large spread of this weed you will need to use a chemical weed killer (herbicide) for effective lawn weed control, and if using a spot weed killer you will need to treat each individual plant.
Type: Perennial Broadleaf
Height: 10 – 35 cm (4 – 14 in)
Flowering: Early May to late June
What’s it like?
A low growing bright blue-purple kidney-shaped flowers with prominent veins in the middle. Flowers have a short life span, they open early morning full of nectar but the following day will wither and fall to the ground in the evening. Erect stem with hairy sides. Survives in all kinds of weather conditions. Originally grown as a rock plant until gardeners saw how invasive it became and became a troublesome lawn weed.
Why is it a problem for your lawn?
They root quickly even from small sections, which means they will quickly get out of hand in your lawn and garden borders. They produce numerous stems both creeping and rooting at the nodes. They spread forming a dense weed carpet on your lawn. Mowing your lawn will scatter the stem sections. If your lawn’s grass growth is weak it will allow the weed to spread quickly. If you add lawn clippings to your compost heap and then use the compost to spread around your garden, if the compost was not completely decomposed it will spread this weed around your garden. Even if you rake your lawn of lawn clippings, moss or weeds there will be many of the small rooted sections of this weed that will remain in your lawn.
Control
Like many weeds, Speedwell is much less likely to be a problem for your lawn if your lawn is healthy. By boosting your grass growth with a feed in the Spring or Summer months it will deter the spread of the weed. In Autumn a scarification, aeration together with a top dressing will benefit your lawn’s health. Speedwells are quite resistant to many of the lawn weed killers that are available to the general public. If you have a new lawn you must be very careful when applying weed killers as they will often cause damage if applied within 6 months of a newly sowed or turfed lawn.
Type: Perennial Broadleaf
Height: Aprox 30–80 cm (12–31 in)
Flowering: Early Summer through to Autumn
What’s it like?
Commonly found in lawns. Also known as Creeping Bellflower . Campanula has attractive blue flowers. The stem of this weed is erect with short hairy leaves. The basal leaves are narrow and triangular with a heart-shaped base with jagged edges approximately 12 centimetres (4 in) long. This plant has overwintering buds located just below the soil surface. It spreads by underground rhizomes which produce deep taproot shaped tubers, which are white and fleshy. Any part of the root can sprout into a new plant, making it extremely hard to get rid of.
Why is it a problem for your lawn?
Companula rapunculoides is a problem because it has dense and abundant roots and shoots. If there are any small roots that are left behind after weeding they will simply come back again within a couple of weeks and start to spread again throughout your garden. In a rich soil it can take over your garden beds and move into your lawns. In drier or heavier soils it will be more of a low maintenance plant.
Control
Creeping Bellflower is very difficult to eradicate. It is nearly impossible to control it by digging or pulling out the roots. Non-selective herbicides, such as glyphosate, can be effective, but it may require several applications to eliminate all the roots.
If you would like further advice on lawn weed control, just click the orange Help Please button below and we’ll contact you.
Lawnscience supports the RHS by annual charitable donations
Enter your details below to request a call back from us.
Enter your details below to request a call back from us.
