Whether it’s garlic mustard, morning glory, or an invasive ivy sprawling all over your yard, just about every gardener struggles with a variety of unwanted plants that invite themselves into our gardens and overstay their welcome.
While some major infestations may only be managed, not cured, there are several practical ways for organic gardeners to reduce, eliminate, and prevent many common weeds and minor invasive plant problems.
And, while we’re on the topic, come vote for the worst! Which is your greatest plant problem? Which invasive plants keep you up at night? Scroll down to the poll at the bottom of the page and have your say!
Related: 6 Common Garden Mistakes
I may receive a commission if you purchase something mentioned in a link on this post for sites including Amazon.com. Other links may go to websites where I have been paid to write a blog or article. See the entire disclosure here.
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SPONSORED CONTENT
This post is sponsored by Fiskars who also provided the garden tools shown here—all tools that I use and highly recommend.
The content and opinions are entirely my own.
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Oh My Weeds
Every so often I ask Empress of Dirt readers to name the unwanted plants—weeds or invasives—in their gardens that drive them nuts. The list is long and varied but there are about a dozen or so that get mentioned over and over again and deserve a special place in the Invasive Plant Hall of Shame.
The highly invasive ones that cause the most serious problems are often introduced species that, free from the checks and balances of a native growing environment, creep and sprawl like there’s no tomorrow, gradually choking out the rest of the plants in their midst.
The rest are often common, native weeds that we can control, without causing harm to the environment, if we approach it the right way. I’ve listed tips for this below.
If you have been haunted by an aggressive, invasive plant or weed, be sure to tell us what it is in the poll at the bottom of the page.
Grow
7 Weeding Tips Every Gardener Should Know
1. Weed after it rains.
- If I could only share one tip, this is it. It is far easier to remove plants—and get all of the roots out— when soil is moist, not dry.
- I know drought is a problem in many areas, but, if you do get rain and the weeds are abundant, get out there before the soil dries again. The whole job will be much easier, faster, and thorough.
2. Know your plants.
- Before taking action, find out the identification of the plant.
You need to know if a plant is dangerous to touch, a known invasive, or perhaps an endangered species or essential habitat for some other animal, bird, or insect species. - Here in Ontario, Canada, I rely on Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program. There should be a similar authority site for your area.
It’s also important to learn about truly dangerous plants like Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Scary stuff! - I also use phone apps like My Garden Answers (you can download it here). It’s super handy to snap a photo of any mystery plant or weed in the garden and ask the app to identify it. I find it gets it right about 3/5 of the time. The other 2/5 are quite amusing.
3. Understand how the plants spread.
- If you know how a plant propagates, you have key information for stopping it.
- For most plants, propagation is by roots or rhizomes, on-ground runners, or by seed.
- If a plant spreads by seed, you need to remove it before the flowers die off and seeds form.
Forget-me-nots are a perfect example. They are so beautiful in the spring until those sweet blue flowers dry up and turn to seed. The following year there will be thousands and thousands popping up wherever the wind carried them. - If a plant spreads by runners, you’ve got to cut off its pathways.
I have English ivy that should probably wear a Fitbit for how far it can spread on any given day. Because the plant is intentionally growing in my neighbour’s yard and trying to sneak into mine, I use a Billhook (more on this below) to severe the roots at the fence line and cut back any runners that are reaching out to new destinations. - Some common weeds produce enormous tap roots or rhizomes. Digging up deeply-rooted weeds often seems like a logical solution but it can backfire. Sometimes the loosening of the soil actually encourages further growth of any roots left in the ground.
Again, this is where plant identification helps. Read up on how the plant spreads and the recommended ways to beat it at its own game.
4. Protect your skin and clothing.
- We have a lot to think about out there! Sun protection, ticks, mosquitoes, poison ivy and oak, are just a few. Beware of possible allergic reactions as well.
- When weeding or clearing brush, wear gloves, long sleeves and pants, a garden apron to cover your clothes, and wash them (including your shoes) in separate loads as soon as soon as you’re done. Even if poison ivy doesn’t touch your skin, you might pass the oil along with your clothing.
- Also, take off your gloves before scratching your nose! Been there, forgot to do that, got the rash to show for it!
5. The right tools make the job way easier. And possibly enjoyable.
- Which tools work best will depend entirely on the weeds you have to deal with.
- I have about 10 different weeds and invasive plants that routinely haunt my garden and I have a couple of favourite tools for managing all of them.
- The Softtouch Weeder is ideal for long, narrow roots.
- The Billhook works beautifully for uprooting bulbous roots and rhizomes. I push it into the soil, alongside the roots, and then leverage it gently until I can feel the roots release from the soil. Pop! Good-bye, annoying weed! You can see it in action in the video (above).
- If there is a mass of tall weeds to pull, I lop off the growth with PowerGear2 Pruners (they are very easy on the hands) or shears, making it easier to access the roots with the Billhook.
- In some cases, I will dig out entire patches with a shovel, place everything on a tarp, and then chop out the weeds (cowabunga!) and bag them for disposal.
6. If pulling doesn’t work, you may need to smother.
- This sounds so sinister, and it’s not a quick solution, but, when weeds are invasive and the problem is widespread, you may need to smother the entire growing area.
- The entire garden bed—plus a few feet of the surrounding garden bed— is covered in thick layers of UV-stabilized plastic and weighted down with heavy weights, bricks, or rocks, cutting off everything a plant needs for survival—water, air, and light.
- Depending on how feisty the plant is, it can take months or even years for the smothered plants to die off. The key is to wait it out and never give up! You can win this.
7. It’s not over until the pulled weeds are dead.
So, you’ve pulled the weeds out of the ground. Now what?
There’s still life in there! And all of those weeds are just plotting and scheming to come haunt you again.
- Disposal options will depend on what’s permitted in your area. The goal is to isolate the plants until they are truly toast and unable to regrow.
- You might place them in their own waste pile, bag and ‘cook’ them for a few months in the hot sun, burn them, or haul them to a yard waste depot.
Again, it depends what is safe, ethical, and permissible in your region.
Bonus Tip
8. If all else fails, rent a goat.
Did you know goats are immune to the harmful oils of poison ivy and have a fondness for the taste of these nasty vines?
While we really don’t want hungry goats grazing in our backyard gardens and eating everything in sight, this may be an option for a rural property with an infestation. And—bonus—you can rent a herd on Amazon! Of course you can!
Happy weeding,
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
Two words regarding invasive species: Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense). This shrub/small tree has been used extensively in East Tennessee and elsewhere for over 100 years. Kept under control as a fence or hedgerow plant, it is ok. However, it has escaped everywhere and takes over acres and acres that should be growing native plants because it is so aggressive! People spend a lot of money trying to eradicate it. It is still sold in nurseries and catalogs!!
Yes, the privet is my bane! It has taken over the creek banks and is impossible to get rid of on our large property. Even renting goats only knocked it back for a while. Grrr….My honeybees like it, though.
OMG! Mile-a-minute invasive vine here in CT is choking out all my other beautiful plants! I must’ve brought it in by something I may have bought at our local church yard sale a couple years ago. It’s so uncontrollable! I never have time to keep up on it every year. I start out good but everything else in life matters too so it ends up choking out my other plants. ugh!
I have no idea what the name of it is, but my neighbors have a huge shade tree in their yard next to our shared fence. Besides casting a large shadow over part of my back yard and dropping debris, it also sends up shoots in my yard. When I first bought my house, I had to negotiate clipping it back from the power lines on my side of the fence. I’ve dealt with it by replacing my raised planters which never got enough sun with a covered patio (no sweeping!) and keeping a vigilant eye out for the shoots. I recently removed one that had grown up through a shrub and reached about 15 ft tall.
Spurge! Even the name says its bad! It creeps along the gravel in our drive and up the gravel road we live on which runs at the top of our yard. I push the gravel aside and pull it out after rain but any teensy bit left will regrow plus it has seeds all along its spreading arms……UGH! I have sprayed it with phosphate (Kilz All) but it never really goes away.
I read and read all the comments. I think I have about every weed that was mentioned, plus most of the invasive garden plants. I had to laugh. I guess we are all in the same boat. I have a billhook, and it is a very helpful tool. The sad thing about weeds and invasives is that they are so seedy, and if they grow by underground shoots, if you leave a smidge you have a plant. You will never, ever win. I have made “weed beds” where I just let the darn things grow to their heart’s content. I live in the country, so I don’t have to worry about my neighbours being mad at me.
I’m trying a new approach with bind weed. Fill a flip-top vitamin bottle with glyphosate and stick the growing bind weed tips in it and close as well as you can. It not only kills that plant, but any others on the same root stock. It is working well with the bind weed that invaded my periwinkle!
Violets pop up everywhere. I can’t thin them fast enough
TANSY and WORMWOOD (the pungent smell and broken knuckles is endless)
I’m in the process of moving to a new bit of land in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We’ve had the anticipated home and garden areas bush hogged since December. Unfortunately there is a large carpet of poison ivy in the area I wish to build my organic vegetable garden (it’s probably elsewhere too, but the worst of it is here). Not sure I can find goats, and if I do, how long do they need to feed there before the poison ivy can be considered gone? If not goats, what else can I do? Really do not want to spray poisons…
As far as I understand, goats would just minimize it, not eradicate it. I have no experience with poison ivy. If I were you, I would contact local authorities who deal with invasive plants and get their tips and advice.
Garlic mustard is bad, I find if you pull them out before they flower it is easier, also cover the bed with wood chips so it’s harder for them to come up. My biggest problem is some kind of bindweed that twines around plants and bushes. It has taken over my garden since we had some manure brought from a neighbours farm years ago.It has now spread to a lot of the lawn. Round up slows it down some.I try to smoother it by putting fine black mulch under bushes and beside my garden rows. Pulling them out before they go to seed may help a little. You can never get the whole root. Teasle is another problem living in the country. Oh well.
Sounds pretty and they are in small doses, but wild strawberries spread quickly and seem to take over everything in its path including my lawn! I don’t see birds eating the berries (or anything else for that matter) so I would really like to see the end of these pretty vines. Enough is enough!
I’ve got them too. I’ve not yet tried to discourage them. Strange they do not seem to be eaten by the critters.
This year I discovered wild strawberry was running rampant and threatening to choke out everything. I followed the runners to the roots and pulled them up. I have been surprised that the areas I cleared have stayed mostly clear. But there is still much under bushes and perennials that needs to be pulled. Plus I it is trying to sneak into my neighbor’s huge yard which she keeps immaculate. It is harder to stay ahead of that.
Yikes. Now I’m starting to worry about the ones I have!
Thistles!I have thistles in my lawn, and can’t get rid of them.
There’s not much in my yard that I consider a weed- except a whole lot of poison ivy! I haven’t had time to keep up with it this year and it shows!
We had a beautiful natural fence along the sides of our property that used burning bush. It was absolutely gorgeous. Then we found out that burning bush is very invasive and not good for our native plants. We began the hard and laborious work of removing plant and roots. It was a difficult task to say the least but after a couple of weeks of concentrated work, the plants were removed. It was difficult to destroy them since they were truly nice plants. Anyway, we now have numerous sprouts and in places we never even had the plants. It’s too bad not more people know about burning bush because they are sold in some places.
There are quite a few problem plants readily sold in nurseries. I hope you win this battle!
Here in Australia at this time of year my garden gets invaded with sour sobs, which are hard to get rid if. They can be sprayed with glycophate when they are flowering. But is hard when they are growing amongst your plants.
I’m going to look those up. Have not heard the name before. 🙂
Beware of plants that people are very willing to give you! Houttonya cordata is a colorful red/green/white ground cover that’s edible though not tasty.
At first it’s very pretty but it becomes a tidal wave. Maybe it would work if contained in pots?
My solution for weeds in open areas; I have a 75′ black hose that I leave out for the sun to heat water. I turn water on low and wet the weeds holding nozzle low to the ground. On a sunny summer day the water in the hose only takes a half hour to get very hot again.
Great article!
My biggest weed problem is Oxalis. Those little bulbs underground just keep popping right on up! You pull out the plant and the tap root might have 40 bulbs attached and guess what? Nature made it so that even if you manage to get the whole thing out, it is spring trigger loaded to make the bulbs fall off! Arrrrgh! I hate it!
There is an old fashioned saying, “One years seeding, seven years weeding.” Man, that is sooooo true! If you don’t get onto any weeds once they start fluffing out seed heads or getting their nasty little roots or bulbs started you ain’t got a hope!
Oxalis! My bugbear of my garden. Oh for a critter that ate THAT instead of all my flowers and vegies!
If I find that critter, I shall send all of his cousins to assist you!
I have violets, milkweed, wild garlic, lots of poison ivy, Virginia Creeper, and plenty of others whose name I don’t know.
My most pesky weed is poison ivy. I pull it and pull it, trying to make sure I get all the roots, but it is neverending. I get one bed cleared and they pop up in another bed.
Dog Strangling Vine.
Been tarping and cutting for a few years now. I live on the edge of a small section of the Rouge Valley and it’s hard to keep up.
Also, I think Wild Grape Vine, grows and comes over from the forest. It has killed a number of trees there by cutting off their light.
Just maddening.
Some bug is eating all my kale leaves right to leaving just stems. I bought dragon kale. will never buy again my regular kale is just fine.
help.
How Oh How do I get rid of thistle. I know if it is cut off, it will come back. Can’t dig it out as some roots always remain to grow again. I have used Round up power shot but it is back the next year with more coming along the root area. What can I do?
When a plant spreads by roots, sometimes the only remedy is to smother the ground in heavy carpet or plastic for at least a year, keeping water and light from the plant. It’s not a very pretty remedy for a home garden but sometimes it’s the only option.
I love your website art!! That lady did a fabulous job. Tried to write soon after it came out and it wouldn’t “go.” Hope it goes this time. Love what you do…you are such a neat lady.
Thank you, Karen! Alice Priestley, the designer, did a fabulous job not only bringing my idea to life but adding so much more to it!
Where do I start. Pink Jasmine vine, Mexican petunia, and variegated English ivy are the first I think of. Also, baby hackberry trees that turn into large hackberry bushes if I don’t find them in time.
The list does get long, doesn’t it? I feel your pain!
I have an excessive number of tumbleweeds in my desert yard. The wind blows a lot and spreads the seeds. Any ideas on how to get rid of them?
If there’s a solution, it’s probably with someone who lives in your zone. Perhaps a local university extension office?
Mine is Japanese Bittersweet. It is all through my trees–in to 20 feet high. It appears in my beds and roots where ever it touches the ground. Very fast growing and spreads easily by birds.
Oh my. That sounds like a headache.
The self sowing “starts” from the Callery Pear are the bane of my existence. I did not plant this tree and I hate the smell of the flowers.
And to think that for many years now the nurseries have sold the Bradford pears to everyone in the country! When they seed and sprout what do you have, all over the roadsides and crowding out the native flora? Callery pears!
Japanese knotweed
Creeping Charlie is taking over here in central Maryland. I pull it all the time but it just laughs at me.
Poison ivy is my nemesis! Help!
Regarding invasive weeds/plants. I planted peppermint seventeen years ago and have pulled it out every spring. It is very persistent.
I had a small impatiens plant in a decorative container on the edge of my porch. That was four years ago and and I still have colorful impatiens coming up and blooming every year in the same spot. The tiny seeds seem to find their way into the soil and overwinter in zone 6 quite easily. Amazing!
I have not heard that with impatiens before. I would like that!
creeping charlie and P I have invaded my space.also we have a lot of sassafras trees coming up-love the tea but they are gaining on me.
I planted a wildflower mix. I’m pretty certain that a bunch of the plants are pigweed. What should I do? ☹️ I’ve never gardened before.
Do you mean pigweed or hogweed (the dangerous, invasive plant)? If hogweed, contact local authorities for help and do not touch it. If not sure, get the plant identified first.
Mares tail is the baddest weed I can possibly think of here in England. It spreads by spores and sientific studies show these spores have little legs to walk to desired areas. We have dug up our allotment plot 18 inches down to get rid of the rootst to no avail. They have come back twice as bad. People say coal miners gave seen the roots diwn in the mine shafts.
Virginia creeper and honeysuckle are the worst
Houtinya is a nightmare!
Bindweed for sure, very invasive, can’t pull it out, trying to mulch it to death in spots this year. Teasle is another one, we are in the country in southern ontario with fields around us. Many seeds each year, been cutting them off before they go the seed but they reflower on short stems.
Horsetail or Puzzle Grass.
I voted for morning glory but at least I can pull them out. I have a real problem with thistles who seem to multiply the more I dig, spray or boil them. I’m in St Catharines, Ontario
I live in Georgetown, Ma. I cannot believe that no one has mentioned Bittersweet. It is the worst vine I have ever encountered. It is super invasive. The birds love it and keep planting it all over my yard. I have some of the other weeds mentioned, but hate bittersweet the most.
Yes, it is taking over our woods here in our NC mountain cove property. The worst part is that it was my fault. When I was young and stupid and didn’t know how invasive it was I used it as a fall decoration and then threw it out in the woods when I was done with it. STUPID!
Bittersweet is the worst weed in my yard. It is extremely invasive and very hard to keep ahead of it.
Trumpet vine and sweet woodruff. Both pretty plants but have to be kept under control. I’m in MA.
Trumpet vine has come up all over my side lawn and in some of a flower bed beside it. I just keep cutting them off.
I wish my sweet woodruff WOULD spread! It’s planted under a maple and is struggling.
*********************GIVEAWAY ENDED*********************
Thank you to everyone who entered.
Winner has been notified.
Poison ivy and poison oak are my main nemesis here in Texas
The Billhook would be a big help in my battle against nutsedge in my North Carolina garden.
This is some really good information about gardening. I like that you talked about weeding and how important it is to do it. Do you know if it would be a good idea to use fill dirt to try to prevent weeds from growing?
My worse enemy in the garden, yard is the Himalayan Black Berries. I just dig and dig, and dig and dig.
I love lily of the valley. It was my mother’s favorite flower. But my bed of lily of the valley is beginning to take over my hosta bed. The “bill hook” looks like a neat garden tool.
I live in Missoula Montana, USA. I have a weed, but don’t know the name of it. I think it needs to be smothered, hung up by its noxious rizomes and then maybe burned. I have been trying to get rid of it for years. Anyway getting the Billhook, PowerGear2 Pruner, and a Softouch Weeder would help a lot. Thanks for all the tips!
I have so much trouble with multifloral rose bushes popping up everywhere in my yard and pasture in Ohio. And very difficult to get rid of. I have never seen a tool like the Billhook before. Looks interesting.
Bindweed, Canadian Thistle and Knapweed are my worst problems. I’m in Boulder county in Colorado and a Billhook could be my new line of defense!
The Billhook would make fast work of the crabgrass spreading in my southern California garden!
Worstweed in Oklahoma = water grass, nut grass, Johnson grass.
I battle with creeping Charlie and am anxious to try the billhook on it!
Purslane and dandelion are my enemy!! Really bad dandelions this year! Chicago, IL
Billhook could be my turnaround summer tool, with yard work flying along behind my real job. Crab grass sneaks into my beds here in Monroe, Michigan and buckhorn is truly a pest. Thanks for the chance to win something REALLY useful.
I have creeping Charlie very hard to get rid of. I am in Iowa and would love all the tools especially billhook. I have to laugh because I have been trying to get pink lily of the valley to grow for years and cant seem to do it.
Vinca has caused a complete disaster in my yard … I can hear it laughing at me (sigh) ;( … a billhook is calling my name!!! I live in Payson, Arizona, altitude 5,200 ft. in tall ponderosa pine trees
Bermuda Grass. Taking over whole 1 acre garden after putting in six inches wood chips
I live in Ontario, and would love the bill hook. I do battle with Japanese knotweed, and this low growing viney looking thing that I can’t identify. It is everywhere! And it comes back
The billhook would be great for the large Thorned weeds! I’m in Ohio.
Fiskars power gear 2 pruner. I deal with wild strawberries, black nightshade, & thistle.
Thanks so much for the opportunity!! that billhook looks like it might be just the tool I need to win my war against motherswort. etven though here in Michigan we do consider it medicinal…..!
My nemesis is the trumpet vine. Dover, PA, USA. Didn’t know I should have planted it in a bucket to control roots. Has taken over my garden, coming up through bushes.
I would love to try the billhook! Previous homeowner covered the yard with English Ivy —once it took off, they did too. Love all of your suggestions.
Thistle is the worst for me because of those awful little spikes. Also, I just don’t like Ivy and it just keeps coming back since my neighbor’s love it! I only use Fiskars clippers but, have never really used any other tool. The Billhook is quite a tool! I would love to win one and try it out!
I haven’t used a Billhook before, looks handy.
The bane of my lawn and garden is creeping charlie (& morning glory).
Those two vines keep me busy weeding. Seems like everyone in the house takes a turn trying to get rid of it, or come up a way to get rid of them.
Still trying!
I live in Saint Marys, Georgia and my lawn is covered with Lyle Leaf Sage. It is a native wildflower and a very aggressive spreader by seed and roots. I am constantly digging up patches of it in order for the grass to grow. I would love to use the soft touch weeder on this invasive plant.
That plant is Lyre Leaf Sage.
Actually could use all 3 of the Fiskar tools. I see I really could use the bull hook. Let’s see, invasive plants/weeds, my neighbor has mint that they don’t take care of and I have to keep in check. Also have purple ivy that walks through my yard because another neighbor doesn’t take care of it in their yard.
After seeing the bill hook I think that would be just what I need to dig out weeds in between my drive way concrete, tried salt and vinegar, dried them up somewhat, but now need to do some digging.
In the Pacific NW, our weed is this thing called Equisetum whose roots go down several feet which is by far more difficult to get rid of than Himalayan blackberry which is another noxious weed. Silly me, the first spring I lived there, I thought I was fortunate to have some kind of bulb growing profusely in my yard. Yet I have seen Equisetum for sale in upscale Chicago nurseries and the price tag was huge. Painting full strength brush killer on the stems slows them down.
Here in Kona on the island of Hawaii, things grow 12 months a year so an unattended vine can strangle a trashy, invasive tree your neighbor refuses to trim (ha, ha I am planting a jade vine today to hide or kill a Christmas tree which is not a conifer and named that because it has red berries in December). By far the worst weed is a non-native grass whose name I don’t know which forms a cluster of VERY sticky/pokey/scratchy seed heads in a cluster that reminds one of a 4th of July sparkler. I took a gallon bag of those horrid seeds off one plant, dug out the mother plant and am praying that did the trick.
I would like to use a billhook to climate some honeysuckle vine in Cincinnati OH
Where do I begin? Japanese clover, those huge purple thistles, bindweed, and some climbing variety of the nightshade family with beautiful little purple flowers. . . . but my greatest nemesis right now is the runners from my neighbor’s plum tree that keep trying to block my shed door. . . . I am from Helena, Montana, and would love to get my hands on a billhook, now that I have a clue what they are for!
MUGWORT IS THE WORST HANDS DOWN!!!!!
My nemesis right now is quack grass. I’m slowly trying to get it out of my flower beds. The bill hook looks like the tool I would use to attack it. I live in Wisconsin.
Mint, horsetail and morning glories. Oh and an evil clematis gone rogue that cannot be killed and has spread to places that I’ve no idea how it got there!
Nutsedge is by far the worst here in South Carolina and has been in several other states in which we have lived. If it is pulled, the “nut” remains in the soil and regrows. Awful!!!
When I bought my house 26 years ago I thought the variegated green and white ground cover in my backyard was pretty and let it spread for a number of years. When I became interested in gardening, I realized it was gout weed and that it is just about impossible to get rid of. I thought I had finally eradicated it and now a huge patch of the non-variegated kind is overtaking a garden. I have been digging it out with a shovel and now have a large bare patch in my garden and I still don’t think I have removed it all. English ivy and periwinkle spread into my yard from my neighbours’s yard and clover is becoming a new problem in my lawn. I live in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
We have wild violet and a multitude of other weeds so I would love to win the trio of garden tools. The billhook looks like a useful tool for my garden.
I live in USA in the south, Tennessee, around here we have this thing called Kudzu, that is extremely invasive and destroys trees, hillsides etc. Although, I personally don’t have it in my yard what I do have is Hedra Helix, better known as English Ivy, I mistakenly planted some in a brick flower box that eventually went up the retaining wall into my garden. I single handedly, I’m 63, pulled that stuff out, without any Fiskars tools, I’m sure the Bullhook, Power Gear 2 pruned and soft touch seeder would have made this job so much easier. PS part of the root of the ivy is still in ground, it’s as big as a woman’s thigh.
I live in Ohio and we are battling garlic mustard. It’s everywhere. The soft touch weirder and bill hook would be very useful.
I live in Colorado. Cheery masses of bind weed and delicate rosettes of goat-head thistles are the bane of my yard and garden happiness. I’ve been pulling and digging this duo from my property for twenty years. I’ve given them a little slowing while they have served me a generous dose. I’d be pleased to try the billhook on one of the patches of bindweed.
That Billhook kinda looks like fun. I’m in California, don’t know my weeds, but there’s a lot of them.
Here in Connecticut, Japanese knotweed (from my neighbor’s yard) comes creeping into my gardens from as much as 20 feet away! I sure would like that chance to use the billhook on those devils. Spiderwort would be another weed to tackle with it!
Puncture vine is nasty!
I think the billhook might be just what I need for the war I wage with my spiderwort. I live in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
I have problems with morning glory, and yarrow in my lawn. I live in Utah. Also I have a vine that grows like crazy, it has five leaves and berries in the fall ( don’t know what it is) rip it constantly and it comes back again and again.
The Billhook looks like it is right up my alley…the tool that does more than one thing.
Liverwort is my garden nemesis! Nothing seems to kill it!! And there is a funky wide-blade grass that has invaded my yard. I pull is out and then put down seed and it sprouts up somewhere else. UGH! I live north of Seattle in Washington State
Morning Glory is by far the worst, aggressive, invasive vine in the world! But I think I found something that just might smother it…I’ve planted cantalope two years in a row, and have noticed how the vines attach themselves to other plants/ weeds/ sticks, whatever is in their path to anchor itself. I’m thinking, not even morning glory could cover it!
see above….I’m in Ohio!
buttercups are very invasive!
Blackberries are threatening to take over our yard. Sometimes it starts to look like a scene from Sleeping Beauty out there. Lots of people here in Seattle have the same problem. That’s why renting goats is so popular here. I’d love to go after them witj the billhook.
I have problems with bittersweet!
Smilax, here in NW Fl. Don’t even think about trying to kill it. It will win.
If there is a noxious weed in zone 5, I am sure to find it somewhere on my property. When I first moved here, I thought the ” morning glories” were pretty, until they started climbing the porch, and the house! So, between that and the dandelions, creeping charlie, etc., etc….it’s a never-ending cycle of pulling and trashing. (And, yes, some chemicals, too.)
That Pruner, and the Billhook would make my life easier., thank you ever so much. I live near Louisville, KY.
I planted english ivy per a landscapers advice and now it grown on the house and it has thick almost tree trunk size anyway the pruners would help so much…I live in Kansas
thank you for the opportunity ….love your newsletter always filled with great tips
Queen Anne’s Lace- when I moved to Halifax from Ontario, I was actually worried I’d never see it again. Boy, was I wrong!!!
Common Mallow (A) — Malva neglecta — Family: Malvaceae — Mallow, which I thought was buttonweed, but looked up for the name and saw only one picture of this mallow amonst other plants. This comes up everywhere, I try hula hoeing them out when small, but they just keep coming and have long tap roots.
Thistles! If one tiny hair from their roots are left, millions of them show up again in your gardens. We dug them out buried them under black plastic to burn them up, repeated both steps about three times for three consecutive summers before we got rid of them. Then a neighbor got some straw that had thistle seed in it, and they’re back and working their way down the street to my yard again. Ugh.
My favorite Fiskars tool is the pruner. I use it for everything!
Miriam Bickley. From Sandusky. OH
The billhook would be great for my violets….orchard grass…creeping
Charlie and wood poppies. I love this blot. I read every article. Thanks for enhancing my gardening!
I have nearly every plant mentioned in my garden as we speak. I enjoy many of the pretty ones, but laugh whenever I see them being sold at a garden center.
There is one plant that I started to hate in my garden. It is a yellow foxglove. I love purple foxglove so I was thinking it would be the coolest thing ever! Yeah…it grows everywhere lol. It basically has little yellow bell flowers. I actually have multiple shrubs that get annoying invasive. I have a variegated privet that makes babies everywhere. It’s children are kind of a boring green so I pull them. But another shrub I absolutely love…but it seeds itself everywhere: Rose of Sharon (A lot of them that are sold at garden centers now are sterile). I love them…but they will seed themselves in the weirdest places.
Although I did have a huge patch of lily of the valley. So I decided that I was going to plant mint in the middle of the patch to see who will win…..
Last summer I would have voted for Japanese knotweed, bindweed and violets, but we moved. This summer it’s definitely horsetail and dandelions! We are in Saco, Maine now. The tools look wonderful. I’ve never tried a billhook.
The links don’t work, so here’s my nemesis in the garden: OXALIS!!! 😠😠😠 It’s beyond tenacious; it is evil. The roots are slender, easily snapping off, leaving the bulbs and bulblets to happily multiply by the hundreds. The bulbs are dark brown — the better to blend in with the surrounding soil. But the white roots attached to the bulbs also have little, barely visible white bulblets that snap off at a harsh look. 😠😠😠😠😠😠😠
The Billhook looks like an awesome tool to use in the garden!
pruner or billhook burdocks are a pain..
Bindweed has gazillion running roots. Looks as if the Billhook would be advantageous in decreasing the chore of my digging. Just remember “…a weed is a plant growing some place you don’t want it….”
I would Love to take a billhook to the horsetail we have here in AK. I don’t think I’m supposed to say what I would like to do with the chickweed.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love some Lily of the Valley and would gladly trade my wild Bamboo that has gotten as high as seven feet before I pull it down. No amount of root removal slows its return. Then there are these awful berry trees, the birds seem to get drunk from the berry and poo purple stains everywhere. Not even stump killer stops it.
And lastly, the wild grape vines that strangle everything with their tentacles, I think I heard my roses crying.
I would like to thank the cemetery in Sarnia, Ontario for making me fear pulling weeds by hand, apparently some bird food has thistle seeds, which the birds poo out. Without thinking, I grabbed some of this thistle “weed” from around the headstone and my hand started to go numb, then felt paralyzed. My children freaked out as it move up my arm.
Sarnia General ER said no big deal, it will wear off. Yikes! No big deal? I need to drive back over the bridge! Apparently, this thistle had medicinal purposes back in the day. I did not have complete feeling in my hand for two days, though. At least my doctor was amused.
I would love some decent pruners. I go through pruners like newborn babies go through diapers. I have so much hand pruning to do, and it is getting to the point where it is too difficult. Hand pruning used to be so relaxing, now it just hurts.
Blessings to all from Susie, across the river in Port Huron, Michigan.
Violets are my nemesis. As fast as I pull them, they return. NY is my state.
I have never used a Billhook. Lanark, Il, USA
Morning glories drive me crazy here in Kingsport, TN
Bermuda grass should be eradicated from the face of the earth! I spend forever trying to get it out of my flower beds. I live in Gloucester Virginia.
Greetings from central NY!! One of the attractions of our house on a steep hill are the fabulous perennial gardens that the original owner established. One is a shade garden and the other gets direct sun. They are lovely with something always in bloom. It only has two strips of grass that can be mowed in 15-20 minutes. Why am I writing, then? Because crown vetch is a constant intruder!!!! Crown vetch is the perfect plant used to prevent soil erosion. It is all over the northeast doing it’s best to keep our road banks in place during all kinds of weather. But it is sneaking in from our neighbor’s hills and it wants to choke out all of my gardens. I have spent two entire summers lifting out each plant, putting it aside and digging the vetch from the earth with a garden fork as deeply as I can, fishing it out of root balls and replacing each divided plant. On our neighbors’ border, I have even gone so far as placing thick black garden barriers topped with large rocks. Please help me with this stuff!!! I’ve even torched it!!! Thank You!!
I live in the hills of southeastern Ohio where multiflora was introduced to farmers as ” the living fence” an easier way to keep livestock where they belong. Now, just like everyone else in this part of the state, multiflora is everywhere, takes over quickly in areas left to nature, and only seems to die if sprayed with chemicals. Ugh! But my bigger issue is with crownvetch. When landscaping the front hillside of our new home, I asked our landscaper about planting crownvetch, a recommendation from several websites on hillside landscaping. He thought it would be a good idea, and did a wonderful job of planting vigorously growing crownvetch. As it turns out-this has been a disaster: doesn’t choke out all weeds or grasses, looks unkempt most of the time, spreads by sending out long, almost impossible to pull roots that have grown under the landscape fabric and stone wall bordering the hillside. I would like to undo my mistake and plant a rock garden in its place. (Rocks, big and small abound). I really believe I am in for a multiple front long term battle using every possible strategy – especially the one involving covering it and hoping it will die!!!!! Any good advice or encouragement would be appreciated. In other words: “HELP!”
If there is a solution, it’s someone local with the same growing conditions that will know it.
I live in Central Arkansas, USA. The only part of my soil that is not clay is shale or sandstone! My biggest garden nemisis is johnson grass. There is one bed that we purchased soil for and apparently the grass came as a “bonus” with the soil. I would love a chance to try the billhook! Fiskars tools are wonderful! Thanks for the opportunity!
Horsetail & bugle weed are my worst weeds, I live in Ky. A weed we have looks like a rubber plant, don’t know the name, but it’s all over our garden, the good news is, it’s easy to pull up, but next week it’s there again.
Love the pruners I’ve used them on my weeds & vines.
Yarrow seems to have taken up permanent residence on the borders of my raised garden with morning glory joining in! LOL! There are worse infestations but the morning glory certainly keeps me on my toes. I live in Oregon, the Pacific NW, where everything grows in a BIG way, including weeds. No complaints but a good weeding tool is worth its weight in gold to me!
I have thousands of cockleburr plants in my pasture and now spreading to my yard. Most posts say to pull them by hand. This is not possible. The posts don’t give much hope for chemical herbicides, which I would prefer not to use. Any large quantity natural ways to rid these weeds. They tangle in the horses manes and tails and dogs fur.
Bindweed in my vegetable garden can be a killer for my heirloom tomatoes. I wonder how good the Soft Touch Weeder would be at removing as much root as possible here in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
I live in Idaho and thistle is the worst! nothing kills it!
I intentionally planted a monarda once and obviously shouldn’t have! It keeps popping up everywhere in the garden where it was originally planted. That and wild violets that invade my lawn! Drives me nuts! The Billhook looks like it would be very useful. I’ve never seen one in the stores here. I’m in Toledo, OH.
Creeping Charlie is the worst. The Billhook looks very interesting and I would love to try that! I live in Wisconsin. Thanks for this opportunity!!!
I’d love the Billhook! We could use it in our home garden for all the MINT and Aegypodium that the silly neighbors planted, which keeps popping up under our 8-foot board fence. Billhook – yeah.
In our community garden, where I grow tons of food for the local food basket, we have too many “pretty flowers” that past gardeners planted, which linger as nightmares for all present now. Like HOLLYHOCK, which puts its monstrous roots down between the path pavers and the wood garden-plot edgers. Often we have to lift and dig a crater 6 feet wide to get rid of just one persistent hollyhock.
I’ve got a couple types of viney weeds throughout my lawn. They drive me nuts and I’m out there every evening pulling them by hand! The Billhook and Softtouch weeder I’m sure would be lifesavers (and hand-savers). The biggest problem for me is I rent in an HOA community and they “maintain” the yards. I’m pretty sure they are undermining my weeding attempts just by mowing because that spreads the weeds. *sigh*. I do what I can though. 🙂 I’m in Miami, FL.
I have goutweed and sure could use that Billhook…..thought it might also be useful between my sidewalk stones….ENJOY THE DAY! B
Cicory is one real pain
I live in Laurel, MD. The billhook looks like an amazing tool. I struggle the most with wild violets and crabgrass and pursalane.
Vetch is a thorn in my side lol!
There are so many weeds in my lawn, I can’t list them all! As for my Wisconsin garden, these plants were intentional but now I’m trying to eliminate them: phlox, oregano and snow on the mountain.
The Fiskars billhook is what I need to eradicate the wild Smilax here in North Carolina. The bulb can be as large as a basketball. The weed grows so fast it inspires horror movies.
My location is Long Island, New York and I can’t seem to get rid of the Japanese Knotweed because I refuse to use chemicals. It’s near impossible just to maintain. Worst plant ever!
I have Garlic Mustard (a lot) in one of my gardens and am always pulling it out. I live in Ontario.
I live in Illinois and the invasive plant I have battled is Honeysuckle. I lived on Honeysuckle Street and thought it appropriate to grow honeysuckle on my back fence. And in June I loved the fragrance of the flowers. I just had no idea how rapidly it spread!
I live in Casper Wyoming. I have Virginia Creeper trying to take over my flower bed in my backyard and growing up my evergreen trees in the front yard. Also bindweed in my flower bed and lawn. I have never seen or even heard of the billhook. Looks like from the video it would save me a lot of work on the Virginia Creeper i can’t seem to get rid of. Thanks for letting me vent my frustration!
I live in Oklahoma, with clay soil. I have a huge problem with garlic chives. I purchased my original plant about six years ago at an herb sale. If I had known then what I know now, I never would have purchased the plant. I have had a hard time containing the pant, as it multiplies underground. Because our soil is so hard, it is difficult to dig up the bulbs and runners. I live in a windy state, and the seeds from the flowers are all over before I can cut them off, adding to the problem. If you enjoy using chives in your cooking, purchase them in a bunch at the grocery store. You will be happier!!
Five of the “weeds” listed are growing in my yard and being nurtured and cultivated. I live in the southern mountains of New Mexico at 7000 feet. We’ve just finished our June “heat wave” during which we’re happy to see anything growing, even the invasive forest grass. I obviously have a different set of gardening problems than folks in Ontario and the Northeast do.
Variagated Goutweed is a beautiful thug in my Ottawa Ontario garden. Friskers Softouch weeder looks promising otherwise smothering is the only answer. Thanks Melissa!
I swear the previous owners of my home (sorry, D&J) planted an invasive species garden: field bindweed is the worst, breaking through the asphalt driveway, followed by St. John’s wort, English ivy, English holly, centaurea montana… even the hawthorne tree suckers all over the back lawn. I would love to win this package and take that billhook to the lot of them.
Many thanks, Melissa. Love your blog!
PS I’m in Victoria, BC. Did I mention lychnis coronaria (at last it’s pretty and easy to pull) and spurge laurel (all parts are poisonous, and the sap is phototoxic; it can cause third-degree burns, just like giant hogweed).
Kellogg Idaho, I suffer with dandelions the billhook or soft touch tool would be great.
I do battle with clover. Comes up everywhere. Boy does it spread by runners and seed pods. I live in Stockton, CA
Oh my goodness, just one? I am constantly battling honeysuckle, chokeweed, and sticky willie, while I consider the English Ivy and peppermint merely bothersome. I think the billhook would be a great addition to my toolkit. I hail from Norfolk, Virginia.
bindberry and blackberries are my enemy. live next to a slough and that is where they breed. also have a vine that has sticking little balls that will cling to your clothes. keep my mint under control in pots same with chives. my hubby does battle with the dandelions. we live in the glorious pnw washington state.
Bermuda grass. One of the local nurseries 40 years ago touted this as a way to have a green summer lawn in our often drought blighted region. Don’t plant it on purpose. It invades flower beds, cracks in concrete, between bricks and blocks. It can live under a stepping stone, continue past it and keep growing. The rhizomes are sometimes a foot deep. Rota-tilling is a huge no-no, every part of this plant can grow a new one. The top of the plant can trail along on top of the dirt and sprout green leaves a foot from the stem. All the criss-crossing roots and stems can make this a nightmare to superficially remove, and then since all the broken pieces can potentially start a new plant, it takes years to eradicate without herbicide.
A Habitat house we were refurbishing had 4-5 foot Bermuda runners growing under the bathtub! It CANNOT be killed!
White top, bindweed, Johnson grass pigweed, Canada thistle , Here in Sw Montana.
I live in Metairie, Louisiana, In the spring dandelions are everywhere.
Pat
June 25, 2016
Creeping buttercup, got out of control as I have back issues and could not weed for a while. the Billhook would probably help! The seem to flourish in Langley, BC.
I’m not sure if the bilhook weeder will help my horrible horsetails here in the Fraser valley of BC. I’m thinking that the horsetails and morning glory would best be served by a flamethrower!
Thank you, fellow Virginians, I did not know the name of the ‘worst-weed-eva’ until I looked up some of your nightmares. Now I know one of the demons in my flowers is called ‘creeping-Charlie’ aka creepy-Charlie. I do not from where it came and it will not leave. Thank you, Empress and all for this dialog and the pop to win a free garden tool. My pick would be PowerGear 2 Pruners. My hands would be so happy😎👋🏻
From Mississauga Ontario…invasive plants..hmm…I could go on and on…mint, lemon balm, creeping jenny, ribbon grass….
Mississauga Ontario. Oh how many invasive plants!!! Mint, Lemon Balm, creeping Jenny…ribbon grass…I could go on and on.
I battle with nut grass constantly here in east Texas. Can’t control it or get rid of it.
y’all haven’t met nut grass yet, huh? got some here in texas
y’all haven’t met nut grass yet, huh?
My weed of choice is what we call horsetail. It spreads by roots and spores. No known herbicide is able to kill it.
Thanks for the post. I guess I just pull weeds the hard way, with my fingers! I love Fiskers clippers and would like to try the Billhook, as well as the others. My garden is big and I am a bit overwhelmed by the weeds at the moment. Trying to work on one area every day, a bit at a time.
Ooops, I live in California, where the Redwoods meet the ocean
The nastiest weed I fight with are goat heads. They are miserable weeds that produce hard seeds with usually 3 spikes that get in my house to step on later and make pulling weeds by hand risky since every so often you run across one and…YIKES! you have to pull them out of your fingers and feet! So painful!! Wilder, ID
Billhook
Long Island, NY
I am from Oshawa, Ontario and the everlasting dandelion is my garden nemesis! It looks as though thee Fiskars bill hook might be a very useful tool in my struggle to eradicate this tool to have in my fight. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS, I am hopeful for rain now for another great gardening reason!
I currently live in Buffalo, NY and I love the wild Morning Glories and the Wisteria but I also lived in South Carolina and both are rampant and cover everything if allowed. And Poison Ivy … don’t get me started on that nasty plant. I have learned very well now, leaves of three, let them be, unless I go heavily armed with gloves and clothes covering my entire body.
I good thing I learned was about the new tool, The Billhook, and that looks like I’ll need to be putting that on my birthday wish list.
I live in Indiana and in the past have battled bee balm, mint for my pond, and crab grass. Think I have the mint gone, bee balm is definitely gone, and removed entire garden overcome with crab grass. I love woodruff but fear I will regret allowing it to spread – it may overtake other plants – and then I’ll have a problem with it. I also received a “free” plant from a flower nursery. It was an ugly plant and invasive so beware of what they send. I could use an easier method for weed control like the Billhook – I’m getting too old to struggle in the garden!
In the Pacific Northwest this has to be Convolvulus – bindweed – Morning glory -whatever you call that evil weed which, in my yard, actually helps choke out some of the Himalayan blackberries (evil weed #2.) At least the blackberries product fruit – the bindweed is horrific!
Clover is the most pervasive in SE Pennsylvania. One has to weed it by digging the roots out or it comes right back. I also wrestle my wisteria yearly. I have to climb on my porch roof to cut it back. Last year we took a chain saw to cut some of its main stems. It travels and takes root quickly. Poison Ivy is spreading fast this summer and I’ve already got some on my arm.
I planted my wisteria near my porch….I love it… But I do call it “hysteria” because of its crazy growth
My most nasty invasive species is bitter sweet. My whole acre of land is being taken over. Trees and hedges on my property and all of the abutters too, are being strangled to death. I have been planting blueberry and raspberry bushes as close to my house as I can. I weed and mulch around my fruit trees and perennial gardens often. The vine’s underground roots come up in every whole I dig. I feel like I am in a horror movie. They keep coming back every time I chop them down, yank them up, or pull them down from trees. I now have patellar tendinitis in my right knee. I swear it is from struggling with these woody, bushy, twisting and braiding together, spreading, climbing, sneaky, invasive, evil, and creepy vines.
I have Johnson grass in my vegetable garden I can’t get read of .And morning glory’s.North Carolina
Houttuynia or chameleon plant came hidden in a gift plant from a friend. It loves these hot summers in Georgia and has been defeating me for years. I dig endlessly, I spray, I smother, all to no avail. I would really like to try the billhook on this pesky plant and see if it will help me get all the roots. Love all my other Fiskars’ craft and yard tools and could really put these to good use.
This has proven to be a banner year for weeds (many I’ve never even had the 35 years I’ve lived here) at my house in Northern California. I’m sure that Billhook would help in tackeling many of them, but the ones I have the most trouble with are spurge and horsetail. Just can’t seem to totally eradicate either of those. My beloved little Beagle helps spread the spurge seeds, but I can’t blame him for the horsetail that jumped out of a pot in my small pond and is trying to drive me out of my home!
I really enjoy your site, and thanks for all the tips and a chance to win some great Fiskar tools.
It’s difficult to choose because there are so many culprits. However, here in Western Oregon, I have the most trouble with Morning Glory and now a new one….Herb Robert (commonly called Stinky Bob). The roots come up easily so why are they coming back after I’ve pulled them? When we moved here to our half acre 30 years ago, we had some fill dirt brought in to level out our yard and Morning Glory came with it.
Virginia button weed!
Mint leaves me frustrated each Spring, so invasive here in Kansas..
I have to deal with Bindweed, Buttercups, Common Mallow and Violets in the Okanagan in BC. I also have grass in all my flower beds, the kind with very long roots.
Bermuda grass is a pain at the moment. Several years ago, I removed my lawn to put in drought tolerant plants. There are a few places where that grass keeps coming back. I’ve tried to dig it out, used natural weed killer and even used Round-up. No such luck. Now, I just try to keep it in check. I also don’t like dandelions, I’m from Long Beach, CA
I would like to tackle several weeds including dandelions, wild honeysuckle and some kind of weed that had a pretty little blue flower that helps it multiply that you would not believe ( might be called Mother of Thousands). I also have a yucca plant that refuses to dies so an intro to the Bilhook might work. I love to find good tools like this prize pack and Fiskars is a great brand.
I am battling asian honeysuckle here in St. Louis, MO US. At some point in my municipality’s past, someone thought planting it would be “pretty” and “provide lots of privacy.” Well, they are right on both counts, except that it also kills anything growing under it as it leafs up before anything else and is the last to drop leaves in the fall. So, my mission is to get rid of as much of it as possible. My partner was skeptical of my dislike for this invasive plant but went along with my plan to eradicate it from our property. Today I pointed out new shoots growing in a completely different area of our backyard. Birds have decided to seed our yard with it. Now he gets why I don’t like it as he is quite worried it will overtake the lawn if left to its own devices. I promised him I’m on it. The battle continues….
Thank you for the great resources on tools. I will be investing in them!
Years ago, I picked a big bouquet of honeysuckle and put in my bedroom. I awoke with swollen eyes, so that identified one allergen for me. There’s a native red trumpet honeysuckle with no scent that doesn’t seem very invasive here in Ga. Mostly found in shady woods.
I live in Kauai and weeding is a real challenge. We get alot of rain followed by lots of sun–perfect conditions for germinating and spreading weeds. It seems that no matter how I try and stay on top of weeding they just keep coming back so thanks for the info above. I’m going to try a few of your suggestions. I’m not sure of the names of the weeds (we have so many varied kinds) but buffalo grass is one that I do know of.
Spurge is what I have the most trouble with in central Texas. It has runners and roots that break off and produce more plants. It covers up everything in no time.
Pruners
It’s very hot and humid in Biloxi,MS. Even if it weren’t, peppermint would still flourish. I pull out bags of it every year. At least it smells good while I’m getting it out.
I really need those weeding tools.
Thank you for offering me a chance.
Bindweed is our least favorite weeding the Demonstration garden called Treasure Island in Windsor,
Colorado. The billhook tool looks very promising!
The biggest pain in my yard are the blackberries, which I can only hope to contain at this point. I don’t want them all gone because the deer and elk seem to like them and I do like having them around. The Billhook tool looks like it could reasonably take them on here in the Seattle area of Washington State.
Dandelions!! They can be controlled in the lawn, but not in the garden because weed killer would kill everything else. The soft touch weeder would surely be a fantastic help in getting roots and all!! The biggest pest in my garden, though has to be the DEER and for that, any one of these tools might do the trick if I had the heart to use it on them! Our Indiana neighborhood is plagued by these Bambis.
I can’t get away from bishops weed or English ivy! I can’t believe they sell it at garden centres!!!! I’m in Ontario, Canada!
When building our home, the landscaper said that we had soil in which everything would grow…esp WEEDS! Wondering whether the billhook works on dandelions in Titusville, Fl.
Here in Minnesota, we’re overrun with creeping charlie! I pull it for hours each day. My hubby and I have contests to see who can get the longest piece!
I mostly battle with morning glory here in Western Washington.
While garlic chive is the hardest culprit in the garden,getting between rocks and in gravel mulches, chickweed is worst in the flower and veggie areas. The bill hook looks like it might work for the roots of the chives.
In the wild nearby we are all trying to control toadflax which is a relatively newcomer to this part of B.C.
I’ve always been pleased with my fiskars tools, but inside or out.
I think I have the trifecta Bishops Weed, Wild Violets and English Ivy not to mention Solomon’s Seal and Lily of the Valley among others which I have yet to identify. By the way, I really like your site because of your local perspective. Living in Buffalo, NY we have many of the same species growing here.
All my garden tools are fiskars ! The best. I don’t own a bill hook though. Would like to tame the morning glory problem. Thank you, Lynell
Surrey British Columbia. Canada
Hi my name is Kate and I live in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. The one tool shown are pruners . I use them the most as I have trumpet vines and scrub trees to cut around my garden .
Nettles in the veggie garden not only get briers in fingers, but draw flea beetles and potato bugs. Also, I have wild blackberry or dewberry briers that spread all over, but don’t make fruit except for a few hard bitter knots of seeds. I have ten acres of these and trumpet vine. Both are impossible to pull up, and roots go to China. Trumpet vine blooms pretty, but only after it crawls up your fence and pulls it down. Then there’s the wild Callery pear trees that reseed everywhere, and don’t have edible pears, just thorns. The more you cut, the better they grow. They accompany the thorny locust trees that also pop up all over what used to be my pasture. Thorns and briers-that’s what I’m good at growing. Oh, can’t believe I forgot my favorite: poison ivy.
Forgot, I’m in Athens, Ga.
creeping jenny is everywhere here!
That billhook looks quite impressive. Never heard of it before. Always used my hands, a trowel or a dandelion weeder to battle weeds.
My nemesis is creeping bellflower. There was a small patch in the backyard when we moved here (Ottawa, Ontario) and it was so pretty that I transplanted some of it in the front yard. Several years later, I realized that that was all I had in my gardens! Now I have one patch that I control severely and am still battling it in other parts of the garden (with a certain amount of success depending on how vigorous I am in the spring).
I need to try the Billhook on my wild violet, houttuynia, soapwort and other weeds here in Virginia.
My biggest problem is Buttercups. They are everywhere. They send out runner after runner. I’m in Surrey, BC
I thought I would find my most hated weed somewhere on your list or comments, but no. It’s horsetail. I am constantly trying to eliminate it from my garden. I get it all and it seems by the next day it’s back! Maybe the the soft touch tool would do the job—or the billhook. Washington state is where I am.
Horsetail and quack grass are tied for worst weeds in my Teton County, WY garden. Horsetail has been around since the dinosaurs so I’m not likely to eradicate it, but I try to keep the spores from opening by pulling them off. I’d love to try the soft touch tool. I haven’t purchased a Fiskar tool that I haven’t loved!
I agree, it’s horsetails that drive me nuts. Washington state
I am just south of Seattle, Washington and the blackberries have to be the worst. I always get scratched up by the stickers. This year my husband found poison ivy, and mentioned it after I got in the garden bed and was weeding it! Ouch!!! Gee, thanks Honey!
I have trouble with buttercup (Ranculus ?) I could sure use a billhook to rip those suckers out of my Pennsylvania garden.
Himalayan blackberry. Hands down.
I made a terrible choice, about 15 years ago, by introducing Creeping Bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) to my garden. I have spent the past 10+ years attempting to get rid of it. If anyone has suggestions please let me know.
These Fiskars tools might not solve THAT problem but they certainly would help!
OOPS! I am located in Peterborough, Ontario.
So that some of my weeds can be put to good use I have started to harvest the edible ones. There are lots of edibles here in Eastern Ontario. However I am always struggling with the Goldenrod. Perhaps the PowerGear2 Pruner would be beneficial in helping to keep them under control.
Clover everywhere! The The softtouch weeder might help. California USA
We inherited Johnson Grass with our house. Couldn’t even find out what it was for a long time because it’s not native to this area. Nobody knew what it was. After a lengthy search on the internet , I think it is Johnson Grass. It spreads by roots and seed. We also inherited mint. Think the only way to get rid of it is to withhold water. We live in Southern California. As a previous winner of one of your drawings for a book “Gardening on a Shoestring” I am enjoying some of the tips and advise. Thank you so much, Irene
I have thistle that just keeps coming back and is very thorny. The thorns go right through my gloves. I would love one of these tools to help with it. I am from New Jersey.
Bermuda grass! This stuff is awful! It reseeds and it spreads by runners on top of the soil and under it. If any tiny piece of underground runner gets left in the soil it will regrow. My shovel is my favorite tool to remove weeds. Here in Northern California we don’t get summer rain so when the ground is hard a shovel is the best tool.
I really liked your article and am excited about the prizes. I have English Ivy taking over my backyard. I would reallY love a Fiskars Billhook. I live in Georgia, and the hot summers makes the ivy grow SO fast.
Clover drives me nuts – in the grass, in the gardens, in the vegetable patch, in my nightmares… the Billhook looks great..
Patrick
Chilliwack, BC
I have had an invasion of Trumpet Vine for years and it is everywhere. I try digging up the roots but they go on and on……Maybe a Billhook would do the trick for me.
Goutweed. My neighbor is constantly battling it and I try to keep it from sneaking through the fence. A red alert goes up when I spot an intruder and the aresenal is opened up.
Northeast Pennsylvania
I have big issues with dandelions–ah well–and some mint. I live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia!
I would love to have a Fisker’s Billhook-looks like it could really do the job.
Love the newsletter!
Every year I spend precious hours digging the wild violet roots from my Canton, GA gardens. If the ground is too dry I can’t get all the nasty roots! That bill hook looks like it might be just the ticket!
My husband has a problem with Japanese Bamboo plants that are really evasive on his business property. Is there a easy way of getting rid of this plant?
Knapweed species are my nemesis. Aggressive Periwinkle also came with the house. I live in an irrigated river valley in northern New Mexico so weed seeds are water borne.
Ferns are the worst for me, I live in central Florida and they are EVERYWHERE.
Russian Sage is my problem plant. It is drought hardy and has a fragrance similar to lavender with pretty foliage and flowers. The problem is it spreads and takes over the entire bed and takes years to dig out all the roots.
Ground ivy! I hate this stuff!
Here on mountaintop West Virginia it’s hard to pick just one weed but the winner is…….burdock! Maybe the Soft Touch Weeder would get to the root of the problem.
Mulberry weed (Fatoua villosa). It isn’t listed as invasive here in Maryland, but it should be! I am trying to get it early, before the seedheads appear, with a hoe and by hand. I will be doing this for years.
Virginia Creeper. Keeps trying to take over my day lilies and blackberry bushes.
We are in Delaware.
Houttuynia cordata. Chameleon plant. Invasive and CANNOT kill it.
Just bought a house 3 months ago. All along the south side of the house was English ivy growing up on my Stone wall. Not sure if someone planted it but the roots are at least 2 inches thick. They’re growing through the bushes and up the wall like crazy and I have to keep it in check every couple days or so. What a nightmare!!!
A nightmare indeed! English Ivy has never been a problem in my gardens or homes, but I have read that it will damage the walls of your home if left to grow. Pretty, yes, but more like a wolf in sheets clothing. Good luck.
I despise purslane!
I have clover everywhere. I’m wondering if the Softouch weeder would help…otherwise I’ve seriously considered starting a beehive :0) Thanks for the chance to win here in Missouri!!
I battle Japanese Anemone that I regret planting. Also Bindweed ( of which seems to be the only “flower” my neighbors seem to grow) which spreads under my fence. Thistles and blackberry vines from the fields behind us. Just goes on and on!
That billhook weeded looks like it would do the job! I live in Northern California.
Thank you for this opportunity and good luck to all!
English ivy is taking over my maple tree and my yard. And creeping Charlie has invited himself to places outside of the garden bed! Would love to try the Billhook. I live in Clackamas, Oregon
Soft touch weeder looks like a great tool to have. Thank you
My chief battle is with STINGING NETTLES. On 4 semi forested acres, I can only dedicate 1.5 hours each day with the seemingly impossible task of it’s eradication. Oh, I also pour boiling water on the weeds after I use it for cooking. That seems to help, but I’m having to eat alot of pasta!
I live in Washington state.
Billhook looks interesting!
I have problems with mulberry weed (http://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/mulberryweed.aspx) in my Coastal NC landscape. I must weed EVERY single day if I’m to ever beat this onerous weed in my landscape.
I would like to try the billhook. I have garlic chives coming up everywhere and their hearty roots are very difficult to pull. Also, been pulling Mexican Primrose out for years. Chokes out my other plants. I live in beautiful and rural Central, Utah. We call it Paradise.
I am in Virginia-we have had so much rain that everything seems invasive right now-But the most problem is with poison oak and poison ivy-a house next door was sort of unkempt for several years and both plants came in under the fence. The new owner of that house and I are still battling it. It has been 6 or 7 years! And I really want a Billhook!
Mint
Mint
Mint
Love it, but it takes over!
I would love to win the garden tool Softouch Weeder. I do love your blog and it has helped me so much. Thanks for all your great and practical ideas.
I have problems with bee balm. Not native to my area (Crowsnest pass, Alberta) constantly weeding it out & control it for sure.
I’d love to try the ‘billhook’ weeder on my creeping charlie plus the european buckthorn seedlings that keep springing up. I believe it would make the job much easier and improve the health and appearance of my property in Elora, Ontario
HOUTTUYNIA!!!!!!!!!It has travelled to every nook and cranny in my garden and it stinks when pulled. Vile!
Dandelions in the flower beds drive me crazy. I wish I had a billhook. I am from Indianapolis, Indiana.
I have a real battle with chickweed in my lawn and tilled areas. It has such a wispy root which breaks so easy when trying to remove. I had not heard of a billhook before but will be looking into getting one for myself and son who is also a gardener. I live in Saskatchewan.
I have a constant battle with oxalis, knotweed and Canadian Thistles. I use an axe on the last two and then fill the stems with round up.
I live in Delaware, and we have battled oxalis for three years. I am able to keep it minimal in flower beds by digging it out when the soil is wet, but in our grass we finally resorted to Ortho’s clover and oxalis treatment, which really works. Not organic, of course……
I have a toss up between creeping charlie and wild violets. I live in central Alabama and I believe the billhook would serve me well in my endeavors.
I would welcome an opportunity to use a Fiskars billhook on the ivy in my Ashtabula, Ohio yard!
I would love to take a billhook to the ivy in my yard! Didn’t know about this amazing tool till I watched your video. Seems easier than the brute strength method I’ve been using!
I am anxious to see which Fiscars tool would work best on all the ground ivy in my yard, the Billhook or the Soft Touch Weeder.
I live in Wilton Wisconsin.
Creeping Charlie is my nemesis…..been battling it for 40 years!! Massachusettts
The billhook might be a big help with our invasive plant: Kudzu. Here in Atlanta, GA. we have a terrible time with kudzu which was actually brought to the U.S. from Japan many years ago to stop soil erosion on farms!!! The one good thing I can think of for kudzu is that you can make imitation grape vine wreaths out of it.
I have Pokeweed and the roots seem to go to China. Just when I think I’ve found all the plants a new one pops up in another area of the garden. I’d love to try the billhook. New Jersey.
Creeping Charlie is really invading my lawn and garden this year. And I’m afraid my oregano has become terribly invasive in my lawn too! I’d love to try the Pruner!
I’m afraid pruning just don’t get rid of creeping Charlie. I had to finally have a lawn service take care of lawn. 99% gone.
PowerGear Pruner would be awesome on trumpet vine and Virginia Creeper wood vine in Nebraska USA
Bindweed, Brambles and Dock! I am in England.
Violets and creeping Charlie. The Billhook looks interesting, I would love to try that. I reside in Virginia. Thank you for this opportunity.
Crabgrass. Ugh, that stuff is everywhere! (Delaware)
Greetings from Virginia! I’ve got Virginia Creeper, ivy, at least 3 types of Briars, vincas, crabgrass, and a couple unidentified weeds that make my yard and garden a constant battle. That Billhook looks like it would be a lifesaver. Or at least a back saver!
SPURGE……..how can such pretty delicate little baby weeds turn into such ugly monsters?
I battle with Morning Glory. It also grows under and over my neighbours fence and strangles anything it can wrap around!
Vancouver, BC
I am from Jasper, (Southern) Indiana. I am constantly digging or pulling dandelions. plaintain & creeping charlie or wild violets. Are creeping charlie & wild violets the same thing? That billhook looks like it might be a really handy tool! Good luck to
me !!
Creeping charlie, is my worst weed. I have to spray twice every year.
I battle sheep sorrel every year! I keep telling myself if I keep pulling it, it has to go away! But I am really starting to doubt that it ever will! Sigh.
A Softouch Weeder would go a long way in my fight against Bishop’s Weed and Bellflower. I inherited the Bellflower but planted the Bishop’s Weed on purpose. BIG mistake.
Yarrow is pretty but is hard to control, I never seem to get all of it. Constant battle. Will have to try the soft touch weeder . I live in north west Montana.
I have several weeds that were planted as part of landscape.
Yarrow
Violets
Vinca vine
Black Eyed Susan
Dandelions
Lily of the Valley smells so pretty and even the tiny little flowers are cute but it is so overgrowing my small back garden/yard. I read somewhere that you have to dig up the roots but I never seem to get it all so i just keep cutting them down after I have my fill of the wonderful fragrance. I do need to get rid of them though so I best get at it.
There is also something else that grows on the south side of my yard but i don’t have a clue what it is. It drowns out the chives. Now to get rid of the nasty tent caterpillars eating everything in sight.
Manitoba, Canada is where I am.
sorry, forgot to say I’m in Crystal Springs, Mississippi
and that should have been have not eradicated from our garden.
duh huh. . . .
OMG, how I’d love to have had those tools earlier this year (and now too) for all the work I’ve been doing in my yard and newly made flower beds. I love that Billhook. It looks like it would be perfect for some of that stuff dynamite won’t get up.
I don’t know what you call one of the weeds I have not eradicated from our garden. But, I called it the weed for H. E. double hockey sticks. It had thorns a 1/2 inch long, grew to be up to 3 feet tall. And, had a gazillion seeds on the entire plant.
I painstakingly, pulled them all up religiously for 5 years and can say now have not seen one this year. We got them from buying hay from somebody years ago. Taught us a lesson about feeding our horses hay from somebody we did not know. Now we grow most of our own hay.
Nearly all plants sold as groundcovers become overwhelming at some point. They’re nice in the beginning. Then there are so many weeds that just show up on their own. Even those pretty little violets will take over if not kept in check. Buckthorn is so difficult to deal with, and it seems to grow all over. I use a pruner similar to the one shown here to cut those off.
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
I forgot to mention the name of the gardening tool. bill hook,,
Love your website empress of dirt
I have trouble with Wild Violets, they grow in the lawn too.
Amen sister. Wild violets invaded my turf two years ago from a neighbor’s field…this spring I held war against them and I think I may be ahead now…this will take a few years…
Chameleon plant for sure, it was here when we moved here 5 years ago and I just can’t get rid of it. Donna, Ontario
I battle both Bishop’s weed and Lily of the Valley. But the most annoying one is bindweed (part of the morning glory family). Argh! it comes up in the gardens in the lawns and even in brick patios. Horrible stuff. I’m in Colorado, USA.
I vote for bindweed too. I deal with by pulling it out when it starts to bloom but never get the root. I keep it at bay and fortunately only have it in a couple of places in my gardens.
My location is Chatham, Ontario.
I have a choke vine that drives me nuts. Ontario
I struggled with mint for years, I would go out after it rained, followed the roots with the soft touch weeder, pulled it and put it in the yard waste bin and off to the dump it went. PS I never get mulch from the dump (because I know what I sent to the dump) I don’t want it back. Fairfax Va.
Chameleon weed is my nemesis. I planted one little pot of it years ago and will probably be regretting it for a few more years yet. Occasionally I think I’ve got it cleared and then about a week later I’ll see those heart shaped leaves popping up again.
Lily of the Valley can be pretty horrible too but thankfully it’s never managed to get well established in my yard.
I’ve got periwinkle on one side of my fence and my other neighbour has a garden full of goutweed always creeping in. I’m in Kitchener, Ontario.
Morning glory is very tenacious😱 Bridgeport,Michigan
Billhook would be a great tool! I live in NEBRASKA and we have a weed that has thorns that we have been pulling for 20 yrs and still have some😔🔥
Purslame is the name of my gardening life. I know it is supposed to be very nutritious but I hate it so much it would probably make me sick. Millersburg, Indiana
Meant bane! Auto correct, Ugh!
send me some! I have been looking looking for thus to put in my container garden!
I live in Ontario, Canada. I think the billhook would be the most versatile tool for myself. I’m still struggling with goutweed that I planted as a groundcover several yrs ago. Every year I seem to find some of it amongst the front flower bed.