Creeping Charlie, also known as ground ivy, has become a significant problem in our yard. For several summers in a row, drought-like conditions caused the grass to turn brown and die in July and August. Creeping Charlie, however, is much more drought-tolerant than grass. Like many invasive weeds, it continued to grow during the drought, and some areas of the yard now seem to contain more Creeping Charlie than grass.

Because Creeping Charlie is a hardy perennial that returns from its root system each year, managing it is extremely time-consuming. It is almost impossible to eliminate, especially for those of us who choose not to use herbicides on our yards. Creeping Charlie Is extremely hardy, often continuing to grow under the snow all winter long. I have learned that any creeping Charlie that I don’t manage in the fall is more than happy to take over an entire area of the garden in the spring long before I am ready to plant anything. 

Removing Creeping Charlie from the Raspberry Patch

Because the entire month of September was cold and rainy, I was able to do very little garden work. During that time, Creeping Charlie completely consumed the red raspberry patch along the edge of my garden.

This is one drawback to growing perennials at the edge of the garden. Tilling along the edges is one method I use to keep the yard from spreading into the garden but where perennials, like red raspberries are planted I don’t till. This means that I must be intentional and dedicated at keeping that edge crisp and clean. Because I have been exhausted by the yearly battle against Creeping Charlie, I have started a new red raspberry garden in a raised-bed area to make it easier to keep the yard from taking over the space. However, the new plants are not established enough for me to feel confident about removing the established raspberries along the garden’s edge.

A Productive Afternoon of Garden Work

Armed with my little Chinese weeding tool and a good bit of ambition, I decided to tackle the Creeping Charlie that had taken over the raspberry patch. Thankfully creeping Charlie has a shallow root system and although it is time consuming, removing it does not require as much strength as other, more deeply rooted weeds do. The main reason I felt motivated to work in this area was that the yard was full of lush grass that needed to be cut. The clippings would provide an excellent winter weed barrier for the raspberry patch.

I broke the work into manageable pieces. I cleaned one section of the raspberry patch, then rewarded myself by mowing the yard and collecting enough grass clippings to cover the area I had cleared.

By working this way, I was able to clean the raspberry patch, mow the yard, and cover the cleared area with organic matter—grass clippings—all in one productive afternoon.