Weeds are unwanted plants that grow in your yard, garden, or farm. Some weeds can be particularly aggressive and can choke out the plants that want to grow. Weeds create a messy garden, and many can be difficult to remove. In your garden, you may have found some weeds with leaves that look like hearts. Do you know what they are?
Before you can effectively remove weeds, it’s helpful to know what they are. What you see in the garden will help you figure out how and when to treat the weeds you see because some weeds are worse for crops than others.
Weeds also react differently to control tactics, especially when they are reproducing. It might be too late if you don’t treat them early enough; some of them send out thousands of seeds that could grow next year. Let’s take a look at some of the most common weeds that have leaves with a heart-like shape.
Heart-shaped leaves can add charm and visual interest to any outdoor space. When used as a ground cover plants with this distinctive foliage shape provide the added benefits of weed suppression, erosion control, and low maintenance. I’ve done some research on the best options for ground covers with heart-shaped leaves that can thrive in a variety of climates and soil conditions. Keep reading to learn more about these versatile plants and how to incorporate them into your own landscape.
An Overview of Ground Covers with Heart-Shaped Leaves
Ground covers are low-growing plants that spread across the ground to form a dense weed-suppressing mat. They are useful for covering large areas that would otherwise require extensive mowing or weeding. Many ground covers have round or oval-shaped leaves but varieties with heart-shaped leaves offer a more ornate look. The indented top and pointed base of their foliage provides beautiful texture and detail to the garden.
Some of the most popular heart-leaved ground covers include:
-
Lilyturf (Liriope spp.) – Evergreen perennial with grassy, arching foliage. Tolerates sun or shade.
-
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) – Trailing perennial with bright green, rounded heart-shaped leaves. Grows well in shade.
-
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) – Fragrant, white-flowered perennial that spreads aggressively. Does best in partial to full shade.
-
Epimediums (Epimedium spp.) – Low-growing perennials with delicate, heart-shaped foliage that emerges bronze then turns green. Prefer partial shade and well-drained soil.
-
Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum) – Fast-spreading perennial with silver-marked heart-shaped leaves. Tolerates sun or shade.
-
Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides) – Vigorous perennial that can be invasive. Heart-shaped leaves on trailing stems. Grows in sun or shade.
The Benefits of Using Heart-Shaped Ground Covers
Ground covers with heart-shaped leaves offer much more than just ornamental appeal. Here are some of the top benefits this type of foliage provides:
Weed Suppression – By growing thickly and spreading through roots or stems, heart-leaved ground covers leave little room for weeds to establish. This helps reduce garden maintenance.
Erosion Control – The dense mat formed by low-growing, spreading ground covers prevents soil erosion on slopes and bare areas by holding the soil in place.
Versatile Coverage – Heart-shaped ground covers come in varieties that thrive in full sun, partial shade, or full shade, making them suitable for covering many different sites.
Visual Interest – The unique indented leaf shape provides texture and visual diversity compared to common ground covers like ivy or vinca.
Low Maintenance – Once established, heart-leaved ground covers require little care aside from occasional trimming or thinning to control spread.
Long Lasting Foliage – Evergreen heart-shaped varieties like lilyturf and epimediums maintain their decorative leaves year-round.
How to Select the Best Site for Heart-Shaped Ground Covers
While heart-shaped ground covers are adaptable to various light and soil conditions, some planning helps ensure they thrive. Here are some tips for choosing the optimal site:
-
Select a level, stable area with well-draining soil. Avoid overly wet sites.
-
Consider the plant’s sun preferences – partial to full shade for sweet woodruff, full sun to partial shade for creeping Jenny.
-
Review the mature spread size to allow enough space for growth and avoid overcrowding.
-
For erosion control, focus on slopes, bare patches of soil, or areas that wash out.
-
To minimize maintenance, use heart-shaped ground covers under shrubs, trees, or areas difficult to mow.
-
Consider proximity to foot traffic – some heart-shaped ground covers can tolerate light foot traffic while others are best in low traffic areas.
How to Properly Install and Care for Heart-Shaped Ground Covers
Proper planting and care ensures heart-shaped ground covers establish successfully. Here are some key tips:
-
Prepare the soil by loosening, raking smooth, and removing weeds or debris. Dig in compost to enrich soil.
-
Space plants according to mature spread size, allowing enough room to fill in over time.
-
Set plants at the same level they were growing in their nursery pots to prevent crown rot.
-
Water thoroughly after planting and provide regular irrigation until established.
-
Apply a 2-3 inch organic mulch layer like shredded bark or leaves to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
-
Fertilize established plantings in early spring with a balanced organic fertilizer. Avoid excess nitrogen.
-
Divide overcrowded plants in early spring every 2-3 years to rejuvenate growth.
-
Trim back any diseased or frost-damaged foliage as needed to maintain a tidy appearance.
Showcase of Excellent Heart-Shaped Ground Cover Options
The range of appealing heart-shaped ground covers makes it easy to find choices well-suited to your site and design needs. Here is an overview of some top options:
Liriope (Liriope spp.) – An excellent choice for full sun to part shade. Evergreen grass-like foliage stays neat and spreads slowly. Good tolerance for heat, drought, and salt. Many sizes and leaf colors available.
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) – Vigorous spreader with bright green leaves that forms a dense, weed-proof mat. Tolerates light foot traffic. Does well in moist, shady areas. Bright yellow flowers in summer.
Creeping Raspberry (Rubus pentalobus) – Native evergreen ground cover with trailing stems and small, fuzzy green leaves. Prefers light shade and acidic, well-drained soil. Produces edible raspberries in summer.
Epimedium (Epimedium spp.) – Delicate heart-shaped foliage emerges with a bronze tint then matures to green. Flowers resemble tiny orchids. Grows well under trees and in dry shade once established.
Allegheny Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) – Clumping perennial with substantial heart-shaped leaves that send up tall flower spikes. Grows well in shade with consistent moisture. Provides color interest much of the year.
Ground covers with heart-shaped leaves deserve consideration for any garden looking to add ornamental appeal, low maintenance, and functionality. The array of choices thrive in diverse climates and conditions, making them widely adaptable. Select varieties suited to your site’s sun exposure, soil type, and space availability. Then plant and care for them properly, and they will reward you with lasting beauty and erosion control. Try out one of these charming heart-leaved ground covers to give your landscape sustained visual delight.
Examples of Weeds With Heart Shaped Leaves
It helps to know what kind of plant those heart-shaped weeds are so you can get rid of them. Weeds can be categorized as grasses and broadleaf plants. Grasses will not have leaves, while broadleaf weeds can have several types of leaves. Those that are heart-shaped are technically butterfly-shaped.
To better understand the type of weed you have, check how the leaves attach to the stem. They can either be opposite or alternating. See how the leaf feels and looks, as well as the base where it connects to the stem. Several weeds with heart-shaped leaves appear all over the United States.
Bermuda buttercup is an Oxalis that looks like clover or shamrock. The plant lives in agricultural areas, especially in irrigated farms. The plant can be toxic to livestock. Despite occasionally being ornamental, the plant can become a nuisance. The plant is ubiquitous in urban, suburban, and rural locations.
It is easy to identify by its small yellow flowers and clusters of heart-like leaves. The plant prefers full sun, while the creeping wood sorrel prefers shady conditions.
Removing Bermuda buttercup is challenging, especially when the weed grows in ornamental landscape areas. To avoid spreading the weed, do not move soil to other areas of the garden. The plant has bulbs, so the best way to remove them is by removing the bulbs. They typically grow in zones 8-11, so if you live in this area, keep your eyes open for them.
Creeping wood sorrel is a low-growing perennial. It has clover-like leaves, and this weed is identifiable by its yellow flowers. It prefers shady conditions. Creeping wood sorrel prefers yards and gardens along with agricultural areas. Since it is an Oxalis, it can be difficult to remove. The little yellow flowers have five separate petals.
Removing wood sorrel involves controlling the seeds and hand-weeding mature plants. Once established, it can take years to remove creeping wood sorrel. Some people treat established wood sorrel by covering it with mulch to prevent light from helping it germinate. It’s best to remove these plants manually by the root.
Henbit is a biennial plant that grows in agricultural areas, gardens, landscapes, and roadsides. The plants can grow to 1. 3 feet tall, and they are readily identifiable by their heart-shaped leaves and square-shaped stems. They have hairy leaves with rounded tips and toothed edges. Henbit weeds are also identifiable by their purple flowers.
Between March and August, henbits flower in red or purple whorls. They can self-pollinate, making them especially resilient. Some of the small flowers on the lower leaves do not open. Henbit can grow in lawns and sidewalk cracks.
Henbit can’t take root in a thick, healthy yard, so that’s the best way to get rid of it. Using weed killer for lawns will protect your lawn and kill unwanted weeds like henbit.
The Japanese Morning Glory is a broadleaf plant that has heart-shaped leaves. The plant has become a weed in the San Joaquin Valley in California, especially on cotton farms. Some people grow it on purpose. This weed needs moisture and does not survive hard freezes.
Morning glory plants should be pulled out when they are just seedlings, before they start climbing stems and blocking crops. Once they’ve wrapped their leaves around crops, it is too difficult to remove them without damaging crops.
Japanese Morning Glory seeds can live for a long time and release chemicals that are harmful to both people and animals. They tend to become problematic in gardens, vineyards, orchards, and unmanaged locations.
The seedlings are easy to identify, especially since they emerge when the ground offers substantial moisture. The seed leaves are glossy and butter-fly shaped. They are hairless where the connection is purplish-red. When the plant is fully grown, the leaves are up to three inches long and grow in pairs along the stem.
Japanese Morning Glory flowers between June and November. The funnel-shaped flowers are pale purple with white at the base.
Removing any morning glory weeds can take time. Taking out the plant at its roots doesn’t help because the other plants send out more tendrils to stay alive. Repeated removal and mowing will generally produce results, but it will take time.
Oxalis is a tenacious weed that looks like a clover. It resembles a groundcover and has small yellow flowers. You should never take Oxalis away because it grows back quickly and only needs a piece of a stem. Animals can move the plant, and it grows successfully in most soil conditions. Oxalis comes in a variety of colors, including orange.
It is possible to control Oxalis. Pulling the weed can be difficult, as the fragments can continue to establish new plants. We do not recommend using a herbicide as they can kill other local native plants. Plan on it taking some time to remove this weed by hand.
NO MORE BARE SPOTS! Top 15 BEST Evergreen Ground Cover Plants You NEED in Your Garden Now!
What plants have heart shaped leaves?
Plants with heart-shaped leaves are some of the most beautiful houseplants and garden plants you can grow. Attractive plants like hoyas, heartleaf philodendron, monstera, and string-of-hearts add a touch of beauty to gardens or indoor spaces. The heart-shaped leaves symbolize love, care, and dedication, adding visual appeal to any plant collection.
What is a ground cover plant?
Ground cover plants are naturally low-growing plants that form attractive mounds or carpets. They cover the ground quickly, covering bare soil. They are often low-maintenance and often evergreen. Ground cover plants are used to fill in gaps at the front of a border, as well as those tricky spots at the bases of shrubs that are difficult to plant.
What does a string of Hearts plant look like?
String of hearts is a beautiful trailing succulent plant with small heart-shaped gray-green leaves and mottled patterns. The small leaves measure 0.8” (2 cm) long and grow on delicate string-like stems. The stems can grow 12” (30 cm) long. The plants can flower in ideal conditions with small, pink-colored tubular blooms.
How do you know if a plant has heart shaped leaves?
To identify plants with heart-shaped leaves, you should examine the leaf shape. Plant varieties have foliage with cordate leaves with serrated or smooth margins. Also, look for veining patterns, the leaf base—symmetrical or asymmetrical—and leaf size, texture, and color.
