By Cliff Johnson, master gardener

Every once in a while a topic pops up on the Master Gardener listserv that sets off a firestorm of discussion. The most-recent fury resulted from a request on how to eradicate creeping charlie (Glechoma hederacea).

This letter from Larry, a gardener in Hennepin County, set the tone: “I recognize that I am about to make some heretical comments here and doubtless am a fan club of one, but what is the big deal about eradicating creeping charlie from the face of the earth? It is, I believe, much ado about nothing. Consider it your pal.

“Think about it: with creeping charlie you have a ground cover that requires zip fertilizer and maintenance. No need to aerate it. It can live in shade or sun and under trees very nicely. It will take any abuse kiddies and doggies can give it. No more yellow spots to worry about. It secures the soil, thus preventing erosion. It can spruce up your rain garden and keep down the ‘real weeds.’

“It makes nice little blue flowers and it has a spicy little fragrance. It is low growing — maybe three inches or so. The leaves have character. Can you say that about your lawn? I don’t think so. You can even mow it every now and then if you have the urge to contribute to noise pollution in your neighborhood and do your part to keep the oil producers in the money. And it is free! It wafts in on the breeze and spreads its abundance and good cheer without having to do anything.

“With creeping charlie there is no need to apply grub killers or other pesticides or herbicides. Heck, even the folks in the U.K. like it. They grow and nurture it everywhere. Can the land of the King and Queen and St. James Park be that far off the mark?
“Nuke creeping charlie? Shame, shame.”

Larry’s letter prompted dozens of responses, including this from Rita: “I love creeping charlie! I’m not afraid to admit it either. I love the pretty little flowers, the leaf shape and the spicy scent. It grows among the ‘lawn’ behind our grain shed and when the sparse grass gets to mowing length I run out with the hand mower and enjoy myself. My husband always tells me to leave it and he will mow that area with the tractor but I just keep on using the hand mower and taking big whiffs of the scent as I push along. The grass doesn’t grow thick and lush back there so creeping charlie does his job very well.”

“I don’t want to shock any of you,” wrote Jackie, from Belle Plaine, “so I’ll lead up to the announcement gradually — I like creeping charlie for all the same reasons as everyone else. In fact, I like it so much I have actually planted it! I find creeping charlie to be the best possible ground cover between fruit trees and berry shrubs. It requires little mowing, and attracts the bees that are necessary for fruit pollination.

“Sure, our buddy Chuck gets away sometimes and crawls through the flower beds. But nature is generally going to provide a weed in one form or another on any bare soil, and charlie is much easier to pull out than many of the others. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t rather pull out Glechoma hederacea than Elymus repans (quack grass).”

Donna, from Chisago County, offered this observation: “Twenty-five years ago I was visiting a relative in Cincinnati, Ohio. She lived in a small neighborhood where all the houses were well kept and that included tidy landscaping. What struck me was that over half the lawns were not grass at all, but instead made up entirely of violets, beautiful blooming blankets of dainty purple. When I asked about this unique concept in yard plants, my aunt remarked ‘We think it looks wonderful.’

“Thank you, Larry, for the poetic expression that sings the praises of creeping charlie. I can’t honestly say I am willing to give over my lawn to this alternative, but it was fun to read your prose.”
“Allow me to join the club,” wrote Grace, from Hennepin County. “I like to think that my efforts to keep charlie out of the flowers is a dance rather than a battle. Charlie grows where grass will not and in my yard is part of the landscape of my fairy garden. I, too, love how it smells!”

“Of all the comments in favor of creeping charlie, only one of you mentioned the bees,” wrote Peggy from Chisago County. “Creeping charlie blooms early in the season, when little else is blooming and when those queen bumblebees are coming out of their winter hiding places and need nourishment. I don’t see many honey bees these days, but I always have lots of bumblebees in my garden throughout the summer.”

Finally, Patricia, from St. Paul, wrote, “Friends of creeping charlie, I think it is a movement! I see potential here for a website — maybe some t-shirts — ‘Fans of Charlie!’ with an image of what is also my favorite groundcover.”

(Cliff Johnson is a master gardener through Carver and Scott counties Extension.)