Please consult them for more information and a licensed professional for personalized recommendations. Creeping Charlie, also known as Glechoma hederacea, is a weed common throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. Best of luck! After you've weeded out the creeping, you can help prevent regrowth by adding mulch, like wood chips, over the area the plant was growing. Some other popular ones are Gill-over-the-ground and Creeping Charlie. Creeping Charlie is difficult to mow and can make your lawn look patchy. This is a herbaceous annual plant that is native to western Asia, Europe, and northern Africa. Some people drink ground ivy tea on its own or with lemon and honey. Here are three plants that will give you the same look. Today, this plant is widespread throughout many states of the United States. This minty edible contains a lot of vitamin C and offers a multitude of health benefits. gingerlily Paxton, FL (Zone 8a) Apr 07, 2004. Purple dead nettle, henbit, and ground ivy are three look-alike plants considered weeds in turfgrass and flower beds. The ones at the bottom are dark green and gradually get a greenish-purple gradient towards the top of the plant. . Correct identification is essential as management techniques differ. Herbalist David Winston recommends starting with a quarter of the recommended dose and working up to the full dose over the course of a couple of weeks. Creeping Charlie can be confused with hollyhocks' young, new growth. The fruit is an oval capsule with red-brown seeds inside. Firmly grasp the base of the Creeping Charlie, and tug it up gently to remove all of the roots. Look it up and see if you agree that's what it is before you try it. It is also known as Jack-by-the-edge, Garlic Root, Hedge Garlic, and Poor Mans Mustard. When 805 creeping Charlie flowers were . Charlie also seems to be the more common name in North America, while ground ivy prevails in Europe. The last rows of leaves may be entirely purple. Other creeping Charlie uses include treating tinnitus, sciatica, bruises, indigestion, tuberculosis, bronchitis, inflammation of the eyes, and lead poisoning, among many other conditions. Thank you. 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. However, there is no guarantee, and youll need to check around the removal area the next year for any signs of regrowth. Creeping charlie (Glechoma hederacea) is a broadleaf weed also known as ground ivy, gill over the ground, or cat's foot, among other common names.It is a member of the mint family with creeping stems and kidney-shaped leaves that might occasionally be seen as a garden perennial, particularly in its variegated form. Loosen the Soil. Creeping Charlie is an invasive groundcover that can quickly choke out grass and ornamental plants. Mature plants do not exceed more than 10 inches in height. Creeping Charlie is a difficult to control lawn weed. Creeping Charlie is a green vine with round, scalloped-edge leaves and small purple flowers. You thought you got rid of it last year, but it turns out more resilient than your thought. Hello, my name is Derek Schew. Your email address will not be published. Henbit is a low-growing plant that spreads rapidly. Heres how to make a tincture, a simple way to extract the medicinal compounds of herbs by steeping them in alcohol. Dollarweed. Are there lookalikes? Use again a month later. 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. Hi, I'm Susannah, a garden geek, energy nerd, and fan of healthy food and natural remedies. The flowers have five petals with a white and purple combination of colors. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. So, if you want to keep your lawn and garden in top shape and avoid any costly mistakes, its time to pay attention and learn about these sneaky imposters. creeping charlie is a ground vine (ground ivy) so has a different stem set-up. Here are some of thebest foraging books Ive found, full of loads more delicious wild edibles and useful medicinal plants. The bees love them, too, especially early in the season when they dont have many other sources of food. Both dead nettle and henbit are also edible, so in this case if you make an error, it wont be a big deal. Required fields are marked *. Even if you do want to consume some of the creeping Charlie growing in your yard, its likely youll still be growing more than you want or can use. Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea), also known under names like ground-ivy, alehoof, catsfoot, field balm, or run-away-robin, is a perennial, evergreen plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. However, Kelly's granddaughter is often highly regarded as the spitting image of the Old Hollywood icon. > Need some gardening gear? This weed is common pasture grass in some areas, so if you are buying . Do you have a beautiful lawn that you've worked hard to maintain, only to find unsightly molehills dotting the landscape? Creeping Charlie, ground ivy, gill-on-the-ground, creeping Jenny - it doesn't matter what name you call it, this is a weed that's difficult to control. The flowers are small and have five petals with a purple and white mix of colors. If you don't mind a polyculture lawn instead of a monoculture lawn, this is one of many "weeds" you can ignore. Creeping Charlie flowers are tiny lavender-colored trumpets, and those who havent been taught to regard creeping Charlie as an unappealing invasive often comment on how pretty they are. Add mulch to deter regrowth. Would you be able to freeze creeping Charlie in order to preserve the flavour and medicinal qualities for use in tea later in the year? 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. Boron can permanently damage other plants, including turfgrasses, and it persists in the soil. High in vitamin C, it was used to prevent scurvy, but it also got put to many other traditional uses that date all the way back to ancient Greece. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Interestingly, few foraging books or herbal guides mention creeping Charlie, even as they include other common wild herbs and edible weeds like plantain, cleavers, wood sorrel, chickweed, purslane, and violets. Make sure you mix the herbicide with water to the manufacturers specifications. The "Modern Love" actress responded to look-alike comparisons in a 2015 interview with "Extra," saying, "I've never heard that! What does Creeping Charlie look like? I think unlike the bland and also early Virginia waterleaf, creeping Charlie might be truly revolting in a frittata, but I havent dared to try. Purple Dead Nettle spreads through stolons or runners and has scalloped-edged heart-shaped leaves. Some herbs are contraindicated for or affect the action of certain medications. Heres more on the different creeping Charlies from Awkward Botany if youre curious. Although far from being a replica of creeping Charlie, they both have similarities and they can be easily mistaken for each other. 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. They do not usually grow more than 10 inches (25 cm) in height. Moreover, it has woody stems and dark-green leaves. But the lack of data doesnt mean a beloved medicinal herb with centuries of folk use doesnt have some valuable properties. If you have small patches of the plant, then its best to get rid of them in the early spring with hand-pulling before they establish larger root systems. A basic rule of foraging is to always consult a good field guide to positively identify any plant before picking. Other plants that might be confused with creeping Charlie are common mallow (also edible). Only apply lawn fertilizer when indicated by a soil fertility test. In this blog post, well explore some of the most common Creeping Charlie look-alikes, how to identify them, and what to do if you spot them in your yard. However, if there are only a few small creeping Charlie plants in your yard, then pulling by hand is a good choice. Ground moles can wreak havoc on your lawn, leaving unsightly mounds and tunnels in their wake.. Saddly, more of these invaders will pop up here and there. The creeping Charlie likes growing in moist, shady areas of your yard. At a glance, both the plants might look alike. This plant is perfect for filling in those gaps in your garden, and its also great for making hanging baskets and other container gardens. It grows close to the ground and forms a mat-like ground cover. Dig around the base of the plant using a gardening fork to loosen the soil and roots. Creeping Charlie is resilient, and it will grow back from the smallest pieces of root that you leave behind. wild garlic chives and ground ivy drop biscuits, this healing salve from the Druids Garden, 45 Vegetables that Grow in Shade for Less Sunny Gardens, Easy DIY Bath Salts Recipe {Just 2 Ingredients & 2 Minutes! Creeping Charlie prefers shady, moist soils, but grows just fine in sun and drier soils as well. Please see our privacy policy for more details. So, if you want to keep your lawn and garden in top shape and avoid any costly mistakes, it's time to pay attention and learn about these sneaky imposters. Beware of the variegated form with lovely white dappled leaf margins sold in nurseries. Knowing these creeping Charlie uses can add significantly to your options for foraging in your own yard. But it's actually pretty, covered in purple flowers. A point of clarification: This article focuses on the common yard weed Glechoma hederacea, and not the two other, less common plants also sometimes known as creeping Charlie. Creeping charlie has a long history of medicinal use. Soak the creeping Charlie all over the plant and at the base of the roots. Aliases: couchgrass, quitch grass, creeping wheat. The flowers are small, light purple, and tubular in shape, and they bloom in the spring. Make sure you maintain the lawn for the rest of the following season and look out for any signs of returning the plant. The fully mature leaves are dark green in color and heart-shaped, with scalloped edges. Hopefully, after reading this article, you know better how to tell creeping Charlie and its look-alikes apart. Keep reading to find out how herbalists recommend using it, as well as recipes for using it as a culinary herb. Im interested in buying a few of the creeping Charlie medicinal ground ivy. 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. After removing all the creeping Charlie check to make sure you got all the roots. Leaves are often shiny, but covered with fine hairs, which you can see in the photo below. Furthermore, the leaves have a dark green topside with a purple or light green underside. 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