Why is this weed everywhere and how do I get rid of it???

[Coffeeonadrip]

Hope you guys can help! What is it?? Why does it spread like wildfire and how do I get rid of it properly because regular weeding doe NOT work! I'm going crazy here, it stifles other plants and I absolutely everywhere! 😔😔 Help please!!

I have no idea what this is, but have it threading it’s way through my lawn. Getting rid of it seems to be a losing battle so following with interest (and sympathy)

Following. We have this everywhere, it even comes through the bark chippings we used to stop so many weeds coming through. I go full hot and feel I've cleared a section of it but it just comes back and spreads everywhere again.

That looks like ground elder.

It's called annual mercury and it's a bloody nightmare! It pulls out really easily but there is loads of it. My raised bed is always full of it and it takes over. I've just pulled all out and put some weed membrane down and going to gravel the whole lot and have pots of flowers instead as just couldn't get rid of. You have my sympathy.

It's called annual mercury and it's a bloody nightmare! It pulls out really easily but there is loads of it. My raised bed is always full of it and it takes over. I've just pulled all out and put some weed membrane down and going to gravel the whole lot and have pots of flowers instead as just couldn't get rid of. You have my sympathy.

Oh hi there! I'm not alone! It's just so annoying isn't it. I have a feeling it stifled two small Rose's in my garden as the are far weaker this year than last!

Didn't mean to post twice

If it is ground elder, as I suspect, there's no quick fix unfortunately;
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=215

I agree It is ground elder. You have to get rid of the roots, and it spreads underground, so the roots are everywhere - small white things. It is very much known as being difficult to eradicate. We had it in our garden. It is still there a bit, odd stalks popping up, but we mainly got rid of it by repeatedly pulling it up and pulling it up and pulling it up, year after year, until it stopped being so pervasive.

You might prefer to try a weed killer.....

I think it’s creeping cinquefoil. It steam roots at the nodes so spreads quickly.

Well I just found some roundup in the shed and sprayed it. Will see what happens.

@Red44. Thanks for the identification mine is creeping cinquefoil

Yes, it's creeping cinquefoil, Potentilla reptans.

You'll see that it has palmate leaves, ie 5 leaflets joined together at one point, like a horse chestnut. That immediately rules out ground elder, which has pinnate leaves - the leaflets are opposite each other down a central stem - and annual mercury, which doesn't have leaflets at all, just simple oval leaves.

If you miss weeding out a bit of it, you will find that it has rather nice flowers, like a dog rose, but yellow, not really surprising because it's in he rose family. Other Potentillas are used as garden plants, and have been bred in a wider range of colours.