Ground cover plants spread to cover all available soil, making them difficult to remove from established flower beds. Although ground cover suppresses weeds and provides a visual link between other plants, it requires removal when it grows out of control or when a gardener wants to create a new look. Killing it with mulch can smother other plants, and digging it out risks damaging desired plants' roots. Systemic herbicides, which move through plants from their leaves to their roots, offer a solution, provided that desired plants are protected when herbicides are applied. Spraying ground cover in fall, when plants are storing energy in their roots, provides the best control.
Tie twine around the large desired plants in the flower bed so the ground cover beneath them is exposed, choosing a dry, still day in early fall. Open out the top and bottom of cardboard boxes and place them over the plants. Place paper bags over small desired plants, and tie twine around the bottom.
Spray the ground cover with a ready-to-use, 2 percent glyphosate herbicide supplied in a container with a directional wand or shielded sprayer, covering all plant parts. Alternatively, dip a 1- to 2-inch paintbrush in the glyphosate solution and paint it on the ground cover.
Remove cardboard boxes, paper bags and twine after two hours or when the glyphosate solution has dried.
Remove ground cover plants after two weeks or when they are completely dead. Dead plants are usually easy to pull up out of the soil.
Check the flower bed monthly in the following growing season, and pull up or spray any ground cover plants that reappear.
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Things You Will Need
- Cardboard boxes
- Paper bags
- 2 percent glyphosate herbicide
- Old 1- to 2-inch paintbrush (optional)
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Long pants
- Put on a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and gloves before spraying herbicide.
- After the ground cover is gone, spread a 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as shredded bark, garden compost or leaf mold, between the plants in the flower bed to control weeds and conserve moisture.
- Don't spray glyphosate on a windy day, and wash off any solution accidentally sprayed on desirable plants immediately with water.
- Don't put ground cover killed with glyphosate on a compost pile. Instead, put it in the trash.
- Store herbicides out of the reach of children.
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