Creeping Charlie (Ground Ivy)
Creeping Charlie Weed Information
Other Names: Creeping Charlie is also known as Ground Ivy and Gill-over-the-ground
Scientific Name: Glechoma hederacea
Life Cycle: Perennial. Reproduces by seeds and creeping stems.
How To Identify Creeping Charlie
- Creeping Charlie is confused most often with henbit and creeping speedwell.
- Stems are four-sided and forms a dense mat.
- Small purple flowers that start to bloom in May.
- Leaves round with scalloped margins
Creeping Charlie Habitat
Creeping Charlie commonly invades lawns that have a woods surrounding them. This is because Creeping Charlie will normally start growing in heavily shaded areas in the woods and start spreading into the lawn after a few years. Creeping Charlie is an aggressive weed and is a perennial so it will continue to reproduce seeds each year.
Creeping Charlie Removal
Creeping Charlie is a difficult weed to remove from the ground. It is possible to weed ground ivy by hand, but it take a great amount of effort from the homeowner. T-Zone Turf Herbicide has shown the best results for getting rid of creeping charlie.
The best time to spray Creeping Charlie is in the spring and fall. We normally time our applications to spray Creeping Charlie when it is flowering in the spring. This is when Creeping Charlie is exerting much of its energy into producing flowers, which makes it the ideal time to attack it with herbicides. Normally we can control 90% of the Creeping Charlie at this time.