Can you Identify This Purple Weed (ground cover)
 

There particular weed dominates my garden annually. It seemed to come about after one particular season when I picked up a load of cow manure. I keep it under control throughout the growing season but once the garden has breathed it's last, this weed takes over. It is the last to die back and the first to emerge. I till it under every spring. It flowers extremely early. It is in full bloom right now. It doesn't seem to hurt the fertility of my soil. In fact, i think it may be a benificial ground cover only because my soil is always rich and I plant the same plants in the same place each year and they always thrive. Of course I amend the soil each season. Can you identify from the photos?

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a399/marc_groleau/groundcover3.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a399/marc_groleau/groundcover1.jpg[/IMG]

Looks like henbit to me. Hank

Wow! I think you are absolutely right. When I saw your post I Googled Henbit and found some photos. That's what it is. Would this be considered a benificial ground cover or should I do more to control it during the off- season?

this is what I've found based on your information:
[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a399/marc_groleau/DeadNettle.jpg[/IMG]
[B][SIZE=5][FONT=Times]Dead Nettle and Henbit ([I]Lamium [/I])
[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][SIZE=2][FONT=Times][B]Plant Type: [/B]This is a non-native herbaceous plant, it is a [/FONT][URL="http://2bnthewild.com/gloss.htm#annual"][FONT=Times]annual[/FONT][/URL][FONT=Times] which can reach 30cm in height (12inches).
[B]Leaves: [/B]The leaf arrangement is opposite. Each leaf is toothed or lobed.
[B]Flowers: [/B]The flowers are irregular in shape and are up to 2cm long (0.75 inches). They are purple. Blooms first appear in early spring and continue into late fall.
[B]Fruit: [/B]Henbit has tiny black seeds which are launched from the plant when ripe.
[B]Habitat:[/B] Fields, fencerows and gardens and lawns.
[/FONT][/SIZE]

Thanks for the quick reply Hank

Looks like it has square stems - which would make it a wild relative to mint - we have it too & I would dearly love it to replace the &$^#%@ Florida Betony that rules the roost down here.

To me this weed is not too bothersome. It sort of hides my very young Christmas trees at times. It is interesting in that it among the first to arrive in the Spring. Hank

Yep. That is henbit. There are worse...

I have this in my yard. I kind of like it, it grows around the stump of an old willow tree. I actually enjoy the flowers.

It is all over my yard right now, as well.

Between it, the green onions and the clover, you can barely see the grass! It's very pretty for an invasive weed, though.:yes:

I have lots of it, too, and even more ground ivy. I'd much rather have the henbit.

OOPs...
 

OOPs .... That one is Deadnettle. Apparently it is different than Henbit. I know there are two different ones. Both related to mint but the leaves are differerent. First picture is deadnettle second is henbit. We get both. Deadnettle seems to grow taller.


[IMG]http://www.weedalert.com/images/wa_names_purple_deadnettle.gif[/IMG][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=2]
(See also [URL="http://www.weedalert.com/weed_pages/wa_henbit.htm"]Henbit[/URL])[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=4]Purple (or red) deadnettle is a winter annual often confused with [URL="http://www.weedalert.com/weed_pages/wa_henbit.htm"]henbit[/URL] [I](Lamuim amplexicaule)[/I]. Both weeds have square stems and belong to the mint family. The leaves of purple deadnettle are triangular in shape and less deeply lobed than henbit. The upper leaves of deadnettle are red to purple in color. The leaves of purple deadnettle have petioles with the petioles of the lower leaves being longer than the upper leaves.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=4]The flowers of purple dead nettle are light purple in color. The flowers are arranged in whorls and form in the axis of the upper leaves. Purple deadnettle spreads by seeds. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=4]Purple deadnettle is found throughout the United States and Canada.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][B][IMG]http://www.weedalert.com/images/wa_names_henbit.gif[/IMG][/B][SIZE=2]
(See also [URL="http://www.weedalert.com/weed_pages/wa_purple_deadnettle.htm"]Purple Deadnettle[/URL])[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=4]Henbit, a member of the mint family, is an upright winter annual that blooms in the spring. The leaves are rounded on the end with rounded toothed edges that grow opposite one another on square stems Upper leaves lack petioles. Henbit can grow from 4 to 12 inches tall on weak stems. Although an upright plant, weak stems sprouting from the bottom may lay almost horizontal.
[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=4]Henbit can be confused with [URL="http://www.weedalert.com/weed_pages/wa_purple_deadnettle.htm"]purple deadnettle[/URL]. The leaves of purple deadnettle, however, are more pointed at the end and are slightly scalloped. The lower leaves of purple deadnettle are on long petioles, the upper leaves are on short petioles. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=4]The flowers of henbit are purple, tubular shaped and form in the whorls of the upper leaves. Henbit spreads only by seed and is generally not a problem in dense, vigorous turfgrass sites. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=4]Henbit is found throughout the United States. [/SIZE][/FONT]

This weed looks like what we call "Creeping Charlie" In areas that I can't control such as perennial beds it takes over and crowds out the good plants. I wish I knew how to control it.

Creeping Charlie is different

[url]http://www.theiowagardener.com/3.0%20art/creeping_charlie1_small2%20copy.jpg[/url]

We've got that as well as the Henbit.

But the worst are chickweed (now) and Japanese Stilt Grass (later.

[QUOTE=nctomatoman;263761]...But the worst are chickweed (now)...[/QUOTE]

If it's growing in your garden (as opposed to a driveway, near a road, etc.), you can eat it! It's a good and nutritious salad green.

The purple deadnettle is prettier than the henbit. It almost looks like something you put there on purpose.

It's the Devin incarnate is what it is. It's in my yard, my raised beds, my flower bed, even in my planting tubs. Can't get rid of it.