Also called ground ivy, this aggressive creeping lawn weed has shallow roots and pulls out easily from the ground. The flowers are tubular and have white and yellow markings. STEP 1: Prune Creeping Charlie to expose the roots. I look forward to purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) each April. Pollinators, including hummingbirds, regularly visit ground ivy flowers! Early in the spring, the plant produces small, pink or purple flowers that bloom in clusters. They are clump-forming tender perennials that bloom up to 4 feet tall. However, there is no guarantee that the plant wont return next year, even if you manage to kill it with one of these methods. If you don't mind a polyculture lawn instead of a monoculture lawn, this is one of many "weeds" you can ignore. What to do with your bumper crop of creeping Charlie? Ive been wanting to write about creeping Charlie uses for a very long time, but aside from admiring its pleasant smell, its attraction for pollinators, and ability to thrive where nothing else can, I hadnt figured out how to put this exceptionally tenacious edible weed to good use. Its an archaic term for hip). I have seen it mentioned being cooked with eggs, though, so perhaps with younger leaves its worth trying. Related Article: North Texas Flowering Weeds, Creeping charlie look alikes: The Takeaway, How to Revive Dying Impatiens: A Step By Step Guide, What Planting Zone is Illinois in? Soak the creeping Charlie all over the plant and at the base of the roots. Creeping Charlie is an invasive groundcover that can quickly choke out grass and ornamental plants. There are those of us who tolerate or even encourage plant diversity in our lawns. Loosen the Soil. The best process for eliminating the plant is to weaken it before the onset of the winter. I have lots of unintentional food crops. Added: May 6, 2022Updated: February 1, 2023. The flowers are small and range from pink to purple, and they bloom in the spring. It has been introduced to North America, where its now found in many states. However, youll need to choose a selective herbicide that doesnt kill your grass along with the creeping Charlie. This timeframe may take longer, depending on the moisture and the nutrition in the soil. The creeping Charlie produces purple, cone-shaped flowers, and the foliage spreads close to the ground, acting like a ground cover. The margins of the leaves have lobes or teeth. Henbit is edible. Add mulch to deter regrowth. Creeping Charlie, also known as ground ivy, is a shade-loving perennial that's grown as groundcover. After a few weeks, the plant dies but youll need to ensure that you cover the plant thoroughly because they still thrive in the shade. Early in the spring, Lamium amplexicaule produces axillary and terminal purple flowers. This plant prefers moist, fertile, shady areas but gladly creeps into sunny and even drier spaces. Who do I need to contact to buy the plants? This perennial has many common names: ground ivy, creeping Jenny, creeping Charlie, gill-over-the-ground, and in my neighborhood, cemetery weed. gingerlily Paxton, FL (Zone 8a) Apr 07, 2004. Both dead nettle and henbit are also edible, so in this case if you make an error, it wont be a big deal. The most common one looks like a coarse, light green clump of grass. Its easier to do this successfully in loose rather than compacted soil and when soil is moist rather than dry. Also known as red deadnettle or the purple archangel, purple deadnettle is a low-growing plant that spreads rapidly by sending out runners (or stolons), just like Creeping Charlie. Creeping Charlie and Pennywort are not the same. 1. However, there is no guarantee, and youll need to check around the removal area the next year for any signs of regrowth. Kooc Media Ltd Company No.05695741 International House, 61 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HZ UK, Hours MondayFriday: 9:00AM5:00PM Saturday & Sunday: 11:00AM3:00PM. Select a heading to expand the details. Persistence is the key to control of all three. The heart-shaped, scalloped leaves change to green further down the short green stem. How to Kill Creeping Charlie Using Herbicide. The young leaves of creeping Charlie are edible and are often consumed in salads or cooked. Dollarweed. Learn about these excellent creeping Charlie uses, and you may never look at it the same way again. What does Creeping Charlie look like? The last rows of leaves may be entirely purple. Description Common Mallow (Malva Neglecta) is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is edible - some enjoy it in salads - and used in alternative medicines. So, whats a gardener to do? Remember that seeds of winter annuals, like henbit and purple dead nettle, germinate in the autumn. A member of the mint family, some find the taste somewhat resembles mint with some bitterness or astringency. A look alike to creeping Charlie but much worse! Creeping Charlie is also difficult to remove once it's established. Part of the mint family, creeping Charlie was brought to the U.S. in the 1800s by European settlers who thought the resilient and adaptable plant would provide good ground cover for shaded areas. The leaves grow in opposite pairs and have scalloped edges. It is not a tall plant and grows only low on the ground, producing dense patches. Mature plants do not exceed more than 10 inches in height. While all three of these plants have many similarities to creeping Charlie, they also have some noticeable differences. Its actions are listed as, "Anti-catarrhal, astringent, expectorant, diuretic, vulnerary and stimulant". Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Photo credit: Rob Routledge, Bugwood.org. Its also a useful insect repellent, so next time bugs bother you, if you have nothing else at the ready, try crushing some creeping Charlie and rubbing it on your skin. Anna is passionate about flowers, nutrition, organic food, and everything related to gardening. Use again a month later. Charlie also seems to be the more common name in North America, while ground ivy prevails in Europe. It earned its name because its sprawling stems resemble the legs of a crab. Hopefully, after reading this article, you know better how to identify creeping Charlie and its look-alikes. The leaf edges are "scalloped" or "bluntly toothed." Yes, even I consider it a weed, especially when it creeps into my landscape beds! This minty edible contains a lot of vitamin C and offers a multitude of health benefits. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only and is not meant to provide personalized medical advice. Interesting. Dichondra is a Dollar Weed look-a-like. Then a different management approach is needed. Ground ivy does not respond well to control measures in the spring. Remove the creeping charlie as it regrows. Creeping Charlie: Massed together, creeping charlie's blossoms are more attractive than those of some ground covers sold commercially. Creeping Charlie has kidney-shaped to rounded bright green leaves with scalloped margins and which attach to the main stem through relatively long leaf stalks. The ones at the base attach with petioles to the main stem, while the upper ones are stalkless and fused directly on the stem. That's right, there are several Creeping Charlie look-alikes that can be mistaken for this pesky weed, causing confusion and potentially leading to misidentification. Try some ground ivy salad dressing, recipe from Edible Wild Food. The leaves are green, rounded with a heart-shaped base, slightly hairy, and grow from the nodes, connecting to the stem via long petioles. Native Americans used ground ivy to treat colds, hives, and measles. Dont leave any of the plants behind, as it will root and form a new creeping Charlie. Native to Europe, it was introduced to North America in the 1800s as both an ornamental and a medicinal plant. Check out our new line of t-shirts! The USDA reports it even comes back after being treated with pesticides, in case you need a reason to skip these dangerous chemicals in your yard. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you have underlying health conditions or take medications, you should always consult a physician before trying a new herb. Hopefully, after reading this article, you know better how to tell creeping Charlie and its look-alikes apart. Here are numerous other ground cover herbs to consider. Source: elnudomolesto. It makes desirable groundcovers since it creates beautiful, dense mats. Restricted Noxious Weeds. Since then she has gone on to develop a passion for growing vegetables & fruit in her garden. The leaves of young plants are used in salads, while the mature leaves and flowers can be used to make tea. The perennial plant has round, bright golden leaves resembling coins and tiny, bright yellow flowers. Creeping Charlie flowers produce an average of 0.3 microliters of nectar per flower, but the amount of nectar in any one flower varies greatly, ranging from 0.06 to 2.4 microliters. Creeping Charlie (glechoma hederacea) is a perennial creeping ivy that invades yards and takes over. The flowers have five petals with a white and purple combination of colors. Its most effective for you to spray your creeping Charlie in the fall, disrupting its preparation for the dormancy during the winter. Creeping Charlie is difficult to mow and can make your lawn look patchy. Content on this website is intended for informational purposes only and is not meant to provide personalized medical advice. Flowers and leaves of creeping charlie. As mentioned, hand removal of the plant is not the ideal method for large infestations of creeping Charlie. Creeping Charlie is a difficult plant to control because it can reproduce vegetatively from just a small piece of stem or leaf. Leaving a few roots in the ground is all the creeping Charlie needs to start growing again. The flowers produce big green seed pods, each containing 4 brownish seeds. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Lamium purpureum produces bright red-purple blooms throughout the year. It gets its name since the leaves smell like garlic when crushed. If you do want to beat back creeping Charlie, you should handpull it carefully, trying to remove all stem pieces as they will readily re-grow. It takes me 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to Gadsden Co. from here, but that is not by way of the crow Also the stems on mine are pinkish rather then green and the fruit looks spot on. Creeping Charlie can cause several problems in gardens. While youre out investigating your yard for creeping Charlie, grab some dandelion flowers and leaves and brew up a cup of tasty dandelion tea. If the plants are cut down spray the exposed growth. Do you love finding nutritious and delicious wild edibles? Make a wild herb rub like this one from Hunter Gather Cook. Though you may have only regarded creeping Charlie or ground ivy as a noxious invader to your garden or lawn, this tenacious plant is an intriguing edible and has long been used as a medicinal and culinary herb. Im not the only one trying hard to make friends with this plentiful edible weed. Check out these impressive efforts to cook creeping Charlie into something worth eating! Here are a few distinguishing factors between common crabgrass and its look-alikes. The roots of the creeping Charlie can branch out further than the canopy, and youll need to ensure the tarp covers this far to make the smothering effective. Find out more and grab your copy here. They are dark green on the top with light green or purple undersides. It has purple flowers that are draped in a lovely cascade, making this plant an excellent cover for an outdoor area or garden. Mature plants do not exceed more than 12 inches in height. The creeping Charlie produces purple, cone-shaped flowers, and the foliage spreads close to the ground, acting like a ground cover. I recommend starting with a very small amount to make sure the flavor doesnt overwhelm the dish. You can watch a video of her here. Saddly, more of these invaders will pop up here and there. In some parts of the mid-west, it is considered to be the most common and difficult lawn weed to control. Required fields are marked *. 6. These pesky creatures may be small, but they can cause a significant amount of damage to your outdoor space. It is a plant native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Pick a date the week before the first frosts land on the ground. Like the Creeping Charlie, Mazus reptans is low maintenance, requiring occasional weeding and trimming. You can also dry creeping Charlie leaves for use in herbal tea. Always follow the product label for directions for the proper use of herbicides. Creeping Charlie, also known as ground ivy, is an adaptable, insidious weed thats resilient to damage, making it incredibly challenging to remove from the garden. That's, like, so gonna be the best thing to happen to me . As mentioned, creeping Charlie is a very invasive plant. There are no pre-emergent herbicides that work on ground ivy. Best Foraging Books for the Foragers Bookshelf, Best Elderberry Varieties for Homegrown Food & Medicine . Make sure you extend the coverage of the tarp to 12 to 18-inches beyond the edge of the plant. Keep it out with a fence or eradicate it entirely. However, the reality is that its an invasive weed. Creeping Charlie is also called ground ivy. September 24, 2022 at 11:09 am. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth Living, Ensia, Northern Gardener, Sierra, and on numerous websites. Contact her at hollie@gardenbeast.com or follow on twitter https://twitter.com/greenholliec. Early twentieth-century herbalist Maud Grieve writes, From early days, Ground Ivy has been endowed with singular curative virtues, and is one of the most popular remedies for coughs and nervous headaches. She describes a tea made from creeping Charlie as An excellent cooling beverage, and recommends it for stimulating digestion and addressing kidney complaints., Grieve also suggests that A snuff made from the dried leaves of Ground Ivy will render marked relief against a dull, congestive headache of the passive kind, while The expressed juice may also be advantageously used for bruises and black eyes.'. Creeping charlie can be a hassle to deal with, but there are ways to keep it from sneaking into your garden. Oxalis has more of a heart shaped leaf, whereas clover's leaf is more oval shaped. Managing them or not managing them is a matter of personal preference. This weed is common pasture grass in some areas, so if you are buying . Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and has been a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. Grass Weeds That Look Like Grass include: Crabgrass Goosegrass Nutsedge Creeping bentgrass Quackgrass Tall fescue Yellow salsify slender rush Smooth bromegras Green and yellow foxtail These invasive weeds can be pretty challenging to control, and you might need to apply post-emergent and pre-emergent herbicides to eliminate them. They were right, but this rapidly spreading invader soon became an aggressive nuisance plant to homeowners and gardeners across the country. That said, several plants resemble creeping Charlie, and here are the three major ones: This is a herbaceous, evergreen groundcover plant native to Europe and Asia. At a glance, both the plants might look alike. Carefully spray the poison on top of each plants leaves. It has dark green fan-shaped leaves with scalloped edges. A few calls and plant samples have come in during the past week on control of a broadleaf plant with roundish leaves and purple flowers. They grow just about everywhere in the same habitat. The leaves are produced opposite each other on square (i.e., four-sided), creeping stems that root at the nodes. Aliases: couchgrass, quitch grass, creeping wheat. Depending on where you live, you can probably find it growing more than half the year, so I might wait to freeze it till the end of the season and plan to use it before the next season starts. This plant has scalloped-edged, oval, or kidney-shaped leaves. A small number of scientific studies have investigated creeping Charlies anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancer properties, but this ubiquitous herb hasnt attracted the attention that some other medicinal plants have, like elderberry, for instance. Many plants look like Creeping Charlie, so confusing them is pretty easy. Examples include dandelion, clover, and chickweed. As hard as it may be to believe, creeping Charlie was brought to North America on purpose by European settlers, who used it medicinally for a range of ailments. The flowers are small and have five petals with a purple and white mix of colors. In 2017, Camille shared an Instagram photo wearing a red lip and a burgundy jacket, which resulted in both fans and headlines . This is a broad leaf weed, not sure of the name, that is most associated with wet ground, like when there is poor drainage. Flowers are irregular, tubular, about inch long, light blue to deep purple-blue or reddish-purple.