Advice on Lawn Care and Doodles...

[LeAnn, Lucy & Rusty!!]

I need some help.. I have a whole bunch of little flower weeds (see below). I need to kill them but I'm not sure what is safe to use with the dogs in the back yard. Any advice???

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Actually, that looks like catmint, which is a flowering herb that is very good for keeping rabbits & other wildlife away. If you rub the leaves with your fingers, do you get a lemony, minty smell? Some people plant catmint in their flower beds deliberately to keep pests away. Would that be a possibility, to just move it?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Catmint blooms

[LeAnn, Lucy & Rusty!!]

Oh no, that's not it.. this is a wicked little purple weed.. like this..

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, well, it's still kind of pretty, lol!
I know you can safely spray a bleach/water mixture (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) to kill bacteria like giardia in the yard, but it might kill the surrounding plants or grass as well. Maybe some other gardeners who are experienced with weed control can give some better advice.

[Debbie and Thomas]

It is pretty although I am sure you do not want this growing in the middle of your lawn. We have something that looks just like this at our cottage that I planted as "ground cover" I think it is called "perriwinkle". It spreads like wildfire=so perhaps a neighbour has some and the seeds spread to your yard. It also grows wild in the woods. If you want it gone, I would just dig it out with a weed digger and see if it grows back. If I remember correctly, it should come out easily at this stage of growth with only one root. If it does grow back then I would treat it with herbal weed killer. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and we have a city bylaw-no chemical pesticides are allowed on our gardens/lawns unless they are of an herbal nature. Good luck, Debbie