10 Most Annoying Garden Weeds Landscapers Loathe (Plus, How to Prevent Them)

There’s nothing like a beautiful garden—filled with verdant green leaves, colorful flowers, and perhaps fresh fruits and vegetables. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and can make you feel at one with nature. So, there’s nothing worse than seeing an ugly weed sprout up and ruin the beauty of the space.

The problem with weeds is that, unfortunately, they are nearly impossible to avoid, even for pro gardeners. “Weeds appear no matter how rich your soil is, how vacant of weeds your garden is at the moment, or how much you weed,” says Courtney Sixx, founder of DIY floral arrangement kit Bouquet Box. “They not only rob all the nutrients from what you are trying to grow, but compete for every last bit of sunlight, harbor pests, and take up valuable real estate.”

The most frustrating part? Sixx says they’re so hard to control that even a bird flying by or wind blowing spouted weeds can spread them to your yard. Here, experts share which are the worst weeds for your garden, along with the best ways to avoid them.

The Most Challenging Weeds

Brett Kessler, founder of Tract Workshop, says that technically any unwanted plant in your garden can be considered a weed. “So my definition of a weed changes from yard to yard,” Kessler explains. “That said, once you have decided that a particular plant is a weed for you, certain plants are much more difficult to get rid of than others.”

As for some of the worst, Sixx reveals she finds the following weeds to be the most challenging:

• Ground ivy
• Bindweed
• Bermuda grass
• Quackgrass
• Johnson grass
• Chickweed
• Thistle
• Buttercup
• Burdock

(However, this isn’t a complete list and can vary by region.)

According to Sara Bendrick, landscape designer and contractor for Sarita Landscape Inc, nutsedge can easily drive someone nuts. “It’s so hard to remove as they come from underground tubers or nutlets that grow deep beneath the soil surface and can re-sprout even if the visible vegetation is removed,” she explains. Its roots can be extensive and grow horizontally. Plus, it tolerates a wide variety of soils. On top of all of this, “it can pop up in the lawn, but worse, pop up all over your garden beds,” Bendrick adds.

How to Remove and Prevent Weeds

Hand Pulling

One of the most common ways to manage weeds is through hand pulling, especially for nutsedge. “It can help if you regularly and aggressively stay on top of it to starve off the tubers by constantly pulling new growth without giving them a lot of time to photosynthesize and build up their energy reserves,” says Bendrick. It can take a long time though, she warns.

But the good news is that hand weeding is far easier to do in spring, explains the landscape designer. “Spring is the best time to hyperfocus on weeds as the soil is soft and weeds are easier to pick when they are young,” she says. “Most importantly, get them out before they set seed in your yard.”

Try a Tarp

“Plants with dense root systems can be very difficult to remove once established,” explains Kessler. He adds that the most effective removal solution is to cover your lawn with black plastic sheeting for a couple of months during its growing season, and Sixx advises covering tarps with heavy bricks or cinder blocks.

Remove the Roots

Digging up the root systems can be quite a bit of work, but it may be essential for certain plants, such as those with rhizomatous root systems, including lily-of-the-valley, notes Kessler. “These plants spread out through a horizontal network of roots, which contain many nodes from which additional plants will sprout,” he explains. So if you want to permanently get rid of any of these plants, you need to dig up and remove their entire root systems because any broken segments can reproduce on their own.

There’s a chance you may want to hire a pro because it’s not usually something the average gardener can take care of on their own. Depending on the plant variety, it may require heavy machinery!

Apply an Herbicide

Some weeds just won’t go away without an herbicide. “The depth of the taproot makes it impossible to remove in its entirety without the use of an herbicide,” Kessler explains.

If the problem is a nuisance—but minimal—you may not need to purchase a specific product to get the job done. Sixx recommends using vinegar as an herbicide because it’s safe for the environment.

However, for really difficult weeds like nutsedge, you may need an herbicide formulated for this particular issue. “There are some herbicides that target nutsedge, but they are also something that requires multiple attempts,” Bendrick says.

Do It Right the First Time

While it isn’t always easy, Kessler advises doing your research and removing weeds properly the first time. “Take your time and be thorough so they don’t continue to be pests for years to come,” he says.