garden weed
By Finbob
United Kingdom 
hi there,my mum has some low growing weed in her garden,mainly on the grass,it has a very long root and a small purple flower and it spreads very rapidly.she has taken it to a garden centre to have them look at it but nobody seems to know.any ideas.
29 Jun, 2009
Answers
i dont think that is the weed,it looks darker in colour and when you try to pull it up it seems to have a very long stem.it has taken over her garden.
29 Jun, 2009
Yes, it does spread - it spreads out low to the ground on stems which then root and spread further. Proper name is Veronical chamaedrys, commonly known as Germander Speedwell. Google it, see what comes up. It's the only one which has proper blue flowers. If you mean purple flowers then it could be Prunella vulgaris, or Selfheal, which does a similar thing when it grows.
29 Jun, 2009
hi just googled the germander speedwell and it looks very similar to that.do you know what will get rid of it? your help is very much appreciated.
29 Jun, 2009
I could have given you a very efficient answer ten years ago, but they've banned the chemical that worked really well! Best solution is to remove by the roots the plants that you can, then using something like Verdone lawn weedkiller at regular intervals,according to the instructions, and particularly in the Spring, may do the trick. Or you could use a classic Lawn Weed and Feed granular mix. When the grass is cut, the clippings should be collected - bits of stem from this plant may well root themselves back into the soil.
29 Jun, 2009
thanks for that,we will try all you have suggested.thNKS VERY MUCH.
29 Jun, 2009
sounds like some kind of speedwell.
29 Jun, 2009