Dandelion

Type: Broadleaf perennial

Size: 12 inches tall, 6-16 inches wide

Where it grows: Lawns and gardens in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Strong taproot; leaves are deeply notched. Yellow flowers mature to puffballs.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens; pull plants by hand or use a post-emergence herbicide in lawns.



Ragweed
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 2-4 feet tall, 18-24 inches wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun or partial shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Finely cut green leaves are almost ferny.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; use a post-emergence herbicide or pull it out by hand.




Plantain
Type: Broadleaf perennial

Size: 8 inches tall, 10-12 inches wide

Where it grows: Moist lawn and garden areas in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Broad, flat leaves around a low rosette.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens; pull plants by hand or use a post-emergence herbicide in lawns.

Note: Each plant can produce more than 15,000 seeds


Black Medic
Type: Broadleaf annual or short-lived perennial

Size: 1-2 feet tall, 1 foot wide

Where it grows: Poor, dry, soil in full sun; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Clover-type leaves and small, yellow flowers.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens; pull plants by hand or use a post-emergence herbicide. Discourage it by keeping soil well watered and amended with organic matter (such as compost).


Quackgrass
Type: Grassy perennial

Size: 1-3 feet tall, several feet wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun or shade; Zones 3-9

Appearance: Wheatlike flower spikes appear above slender clumps of grassy foliage.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens; dig plants out by hand, being sure to remove every bit of root



Dock
Type: Broadleaf perennial

Size: 3-4 feet tall, 1-2 feet wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Produces large, wavy-edged leaves and large seed heads covered with brown seeds.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; pull and dig up plants or treat with a post-emergence herbicide.

Note: Each plant can produce up to 40,000 seeds that wait decades before sprouting



Henbit
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 5-12 inches tall, 3-12 inches wide

Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, and garden areas in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Low, creeping plant with scallop-edge leaves and purple flowers.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens or use pre-emergence herbicide in spring; pull plants by hand or treat in lawns with a broad-leaf, post-emergence herbicide.



Fleabane
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 2 feet tall, 6-18 inches wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun to partial shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Slender leaves, borne on an upright stem that branches. It produces puffy white to pale lavender daisies.

Control: Mulch to prevent it or use a pre-emergence herbicide in spring; pull plants by hand or spot-treat with a post-emergence herbicide



Nettle
Type: Broadleaf perennial

Size: 2-6 feet tall, 1-3 feet wide

Where it grows: Garden areas with rich, moist soil; Zones 3-9

Appearance: Sawtooth-edged leaves and yellowish flower clusters are covered with stinging hairs.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; dig out plants or treat with a post-emergence herbicide.

Note: Always wear gloves when working around this plant



Prostrate Spurge
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 3 inches tall, 18 inches wide

Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, and garden areas with dry soil; Zones 3-9

Appearance: Green or purple-blushed leaves form dense mats.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens or use a pre-emergence herbicide in lawns; pull plants when young or spot-treat with a post-emergence herbicide



Chickweed
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 6 inches tall, 12 inches wide

Where it grows: Lawn, garden, and landscape areas with rich, moist soil in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Lush green mats studded with small, star-shape flowers.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens or use a pre-emergence herbicide in early spring; pull plants by hand.

Note: Each plant can produce more than 15,000 seeds.




Black Nightshade
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 2 feet tall, 2 feet wide

Where it grows: Landscape or garden areas with rich soil in sun or shade; Zones 3-10.

Appearance: Bushy or climbing plant with white or purple flowers and purple or red fruits.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in gardens; pull by hand or treat with a post-emergence herbicide.

Note: All parts of this plant, including the fruits, are poisonous.



Musk Thistle
Type: Broadleaf biennial

Size: 5-6 feet tall, 18 inches wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in full sun; Zones 3-9

Appearance: Prickly leaves off of tall stems topped by heavy 2-inch purple flowers.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; use a post-emergence herbicide or dig it out.


Ragweed
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 2-4 feet tall, 18-24 inches wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun or partial shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Finely cut green leaves are almost ferny.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; use a post-emergence herbicide or pull it out by hand.



Crabgrass
Type: Grassy annual

Size: up to 18 inches tall, 8-20 inches wide

Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, and garden areas in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Grassy plant; grows roots anywhere the stem makes soil contact; seed heads spread out like four fingers.

Control: Mulch to prevent it or use a pre-emergence herbicide in lawns; pull plants by hand or spot-treat with a nonselective post-emergence herbicide.

Note: Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds




White Clover
Type: Broadleaf perennial

Size: 8-10 inches tall, 12 inches wide

Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, and garden areas in sun to partial shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Three-lobe leaves frame round white flower clusters.

Control: Mulch to prevent it in landscape areas; use a post-emergence herbicide in lawns or hand pull.

Note: Clover adds nitrogen to the soil so as far as weeds go, this one is moderately helpful.



Yellow Sweet Clover
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 1-3 feet tall, 12-18 inches wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas; Zones 4-9

Appearance: Lanky branches; clover-like leaves; fragrant yellow flowers.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; pull plants by hand or spot treat a post-emergence herbicides


Velvetleaf
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 4-6 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide

Where it grows: Fertile, sunny landscape and garden areas; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Large, velvety heart-shape leaves up to 10 inches across; yellow flowers in summer.

Control: Mulch to prevent it or use a pre-emergence herbicide in spring; pull plants by hand or use a post-emergence herbicide.



Yellow Salsify
Type: Broadleaf biennial or short-lived perennial

Size: 1-3 feet tall, 2 feet wide

Where it grows: Sunny landscape and garden areas; Zones 3-9

Appearance: Gray-green leaves; yellow flowers are followed by large puffballs.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; pull plants by hand or treat with a post-emergence herbicide.


Lamb's-Quarter
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 3-4 feet tall, 12-18 inches wide

Where it grows: Landscape and garden areas in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Scalloped leaves have gray undersides.

Control: Mulch to prevent it; pull plants by hand or use a post-emergence herbicide.


Nutsedge
Type: Grassy perennial

Size: 2 feet tall, 1 foot wide

Where it grows: Lawn, landscape, or garden areas with moist soil in sun or shade; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Shiny, grassy leaves; nutlike tubers on the root system.

Control: Mulch garden areas in spring to prevent it; pull plants by hand or spray with a post-emergence herbicide containing MSMA.



Pigweed
Type: Broadleaf annual

Size: 6 feet tall, 2 feet wide

Where it grows: Sunny landscape or garden areas; Zones 3-10

Appearance: Tall plants with a taproot; hairy-looking clusters of green flowers.

Control: Mulch garden areas in spring to prevent it or use a pre-emergence herbicide in spring; pull plants by hand or spray with a post-emergence herbicide.



Creeping Charlie
Type: Broadleaf perennial

Size: 4 inches tall, several feet wide

Where it grows: Shady lawn, landscape, or garden areas; Zones 3-9

Appearance: Ground cover with scalloped leaves and clusters of purple flowers in late spring.

Control: Mulch garden areas in spring to prevent it; pull plants by hand or spray with a post-emergence herbicide in spring or fall.


Wild Violet
Type: Broadleaf perennial

Size: 6 inches tall, 6 inches wide

Where it grows: Shady lawn, landscape, or garden areas; Zones 3-9

Appearance: Ground cover with heart-shape leaves and purple flowers in late spring.

Control: Mulch garden areas in spring to prevent it; pull plants by hand or spray with a post-emergence herbicide in spring or fall.

Note: This plant is often grown as an ornamental in shade gardens.

Treating Weeds

Treating Broadleaf Weeds
Broadleaf weeds are the bane of lawn lovers. Dandelions, clover, dollarweed, and others invade quickly and spread relentlessly.

The right time: Treat actively growing weeds; apply granular products on a dewy morning.

Why timing matters: Used properly, broadleaf weed killers are highly effective, but few pest controls fail as readily when conditions aren't optimal. For example, the granules of weed-and-feed products, which are applied with a spreader, must stick to the leaves of the weeds to be effective. That requires moisture. The perfect time to apply, therefore, is an early morning when there's a heavy dew on the lawn -- the heavier the better. If the grass isn't wet, you'll be wasting your time and money.

Whether you use a granular weed-and-feed or spray a liquid broadleaf weed killer, the weeds must be well watered and actively growing for the chemical to work. Thus, treating during a hot, dry spell in summer may yield disappointing results. Spring and fall, when temperatures are moderate and moisture plentiful, are ideal times.

Using Weed Preventers
Pre-emergent herbicides, or weed preventers, control crabgrass and other weeds by stopping their seeds from germinating. An application early in the growing season works wonders; it's like vaccinating your lawn against weeds.

The right time: Apply preventer when forsythia blooms drop.

Why timing matters: Weed preventers are not effective against weeds that have already begun to grow, so you must apply them before germination to gain any benefit. Crabgrass, the primary target of lawn weed preventers, normally germinates just after forsythia blooms, so take your cue from Mother Nature. When you notice forsythia bushes dropping their blossoms (March to May, depending on your region), apply weed preventer, and water as soon as possible to activate it.

Need to reseed? For cool-season grasses, fall is the ideal time; plant warm-season grasses in late spring. But remember: Don't apply crabgrass preventer at the same time that you plant seed; it stops seedlings from growing.

flob a dob a lop little weed

dandelions are the bane of my life I do constant battle with a spray

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Jesus saves...especially if he shops at Aldi

You need to take all of the dandelion roots out if your to rid of them fully failing that Glyphosate is the best weed killer to use.

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Lorraine

There's a weed which is the bane of my gardening life it has very small oval leaves about 0.5cm across and forms a mat which extends across concrete around slate chippings and is almost impossible to pull up. Anybody know what this is and how to get rid of it?

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Pone ubi sol non lucet!

No i dont recognise that one..Glyphosate will kill most weeds though

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Lorraine