Veronica weed in my perennial bed

14 years ago

HELP!!!

Ok, lately the daytime temps have been in the 50's and night temps in the 30's. The sun has been bright, but as of yet, the trees are still just skeletons (no leaves).

I have a hateful weed.... identified by a garden center as Veronica. She is NOT nice! My rear neighbors have several untended beds that she grows rampant in. And she shows up in my perennial beds, despite 2-3" of cypress mulch. She can be killed with several shots of RoundUp, but right now, it's too cold for RoundUp to work, but not too cold for her to pop up in various locations around my perennial bed. She does pull up well, but leaving any root behind means she'll be back. I know she lives smack in the middle of one of my Tiarella's.

Is there anything I can do to keep her at bay? A pre-emergent, perhaps? Of course, I don't want anything to harm my perennials, but this weed is seriously the thorn in my side!

Will taking a scuffle hoe to my neighbors infested beds do anything?

I hate to wait till it gets warm enough for RoundUp to work as by then, the hostas and other perennials will be up.

HELP!

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Comments (9)

Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
14 years ago
I find round up still works fine in cool weather but it takes longer to see the effect. I usually add a bit more than called for too.
misskimmie
13 years ago
Hi I just did a search on GW to find out how to kill veronica thats everywhere in my garden. Is what your calling veronica this?
http://www.aphotoflora.com/DevonandCornwall/Veronica%20filiformis09-05-05.jpg

I'm sorry I can't post...I'm having problems downloading off my camera so had to find an on lie picture. If it is...it can reproduce from small bits of the plant ... don't take a scuffle-hoe.
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Is your planter on bare ground or directly on a hard surface (eg concrete or a rocky patch)? What's the drainage like? For example - I made a 'tabletop' planter which has a slatted bottom. I lined it with overlapping plastic bags then put in a mix of composts - one of which is very rich. Despite being three feet off the ground, with seeping drainage, and being only 8" deep - the bottom layer of the mix is very 'cluggy'. Further - despite being very well-rotted compost, the growth from the first year was disappointing. Using the same mix for a second year, after weathering, the results have been much better. The leaves. I may have misread. I gained the impression that you had used them as a further 'water-holder' layer. Sometimes buried material can be a bit toxic while it rots. I'd use leaves on the top, as a protective mulch over a serving of, say, blood and bone (but I don't have critters, as such :-)) ) Not buried. (That's not a lot of depth for bigger bulbs to get their roots down. At least four inches above and below the actual bulb, if they have to dodge the frost.) The sand. Nononono. Grit, yes. Sand and compost is for serious water-lovers. Gunnera and pondside plants. 3-5mm sharp grit well stirred through. A good gritty mix encourages root development. If you have mountain streams in your area with shingle beaches - look at the root development of plants growing in that medium. The tops might be stunted but the roots spread far and wide as they forage. If your planter has settled over winter - I'd add some genuine soil. Dirt out the garden. Not subsoil clay. Reasonable topsoil, if you have it. In an outdoor planter of the size you have the soil seems to add 'sturdiness' to the mix and the plants. One bucket of dirt, one of compost, half of grit. Later on, I'd add the ancient cowpats and good garden compost to suit the taste of whatever I was planting. And add an organic mulch if water-loss, or wind is an issue in the garden, once the soil has warmed up and growth is well under way. For now - I'd rescue the perennials and pot them up fairly tightly until they've developed a vigorous root system again. A gritty mix will help for most of them, so long as you water with care. You didn't list what you were growing. For a mix as juicy as you've offered, I'd be growing things such as polyanthus, or Dahlias, maybe Hostas and Dicentra. For something like tuberous Begonia - I'd wait for the second year. If you bought pot-grown perennials and they were slightly root-bound - remember to open the base of the rootball a little so they can start spreading. If they were slips and bare-rooted - don't expect wonders this year. Some can take up to two years to settle in and then shock you by becoming garden thugs :-(. Meantime, you could sneak in a few coloured lettuces and use the benefits tastily! Or try some bedding Impatiens and Lobelia while the soil ingredients settle down.
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I like my Veronica too. First, I suggest you cut all the flowering stems down to the base of the plant, just above the crown. The plant may just be worn out from a big flowering effort, as Ken said. Next I would give it some gentle fertilizer like liquid fish emulsion. Also I see some very nice lawn in the picture. Is it possible that some weed killer overspray drifted onto your plant?
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
start by getting a straight shovel .. and run it right down the property line..

then go at it with round up ...

twice a year... spring and fall.. cut with shovel again.. at property line ...

the other alternative... is to determine.. how deep the runners run ... and then put a trench in below that depth ..

like i used to do with bed edging..

grass in general.. only grows down 2 to 3 inches.. so to edge a bed.. you need a straight cut on the grass side.. about 4 inches deep ... and then the bed climbs out from there.. again.. edge twice or so per year... does that make any sense???

no one says the back of your bad can not be edged.. like your side of the bed ...

most plants that put out runners.. do NOT do it very deeply ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: something like this.. though you should get it at the bigboxstore ...
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
13 years ago
I agree with Ken. If the weed is coming from your neighbor's yard, the best result will be to make sure it won't continue to spread into yours. We have a neighbor with untended poison ivy that will come through and under our fence on that side, if we're not careful.

As for the weed that is in your Tiarella, It is a lot of work, but if you want to save the plant, you can dig it up, maybe after it blooms, and separate out the weed from it and pot it up for awhile. Make sure you have gotten all the weed out of that area and that it doesn't come back and then replant your Tiarella.
flora_uk
13 years ago
If it is Veronica filiformis you might be able to fight it by altering the conditions a bit. It is mainly a lawn weed over here and it likes shade, moist soil and a low mowing height. It can't compete if there is taller stuff growing around it and it doesn't like dry soil.

If you could post a photo we could make sure you have the correct id too, just in case we are advising about the wrong weed. There are a lot of Veronicas. I'm a bit surprised V filiformis is a problem where there is Tiarella and mulch.
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
13 years ago
Good point, flora, I was also wondering about Veronica being a nuisance, although I'm not familiar with filiformis. I have two hybrid creeping veronicas that behave like angels.
thisismelissa
Original Author
13 years ago
This post is from last year and the problem is somewhat under control now.
The weed ended up being Motherwort. It's an herb and there's no information available on controlling it... the only info is how wonderful it is! BAH!

I tried RoundUp to no avail. WeedBGone.... it laughed at me.
The best product I found to control it was WeedFree Zone. I sprayed it over the fence (shame on me, but I'm over it) into my neighbors' untended wooded area and pretty much killed it all last year.

This year, it has come up again in some sparse spots, but I'll attack that after the rain stops!
flora_uk
13 years ago
Oh well - thanks for getting back. I feel a bit vindicated as the account of the weed's behaviour didn't square with most weedy veronicas. Don't you just love the rosy glow of being right? ;)
ladyrose65
13 years ago
Hello Melissa, reading your post. I am new to Veronica. I have lots of Veronica "Sightseeing Mix" plants are you talking about the same plant?

Veronica weed in my perennial bed

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Bumblebeez SC Zone 7

misskimmie

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Veronica weed in my perennial bed

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