These weeds must be controlled around homes to eliminate the risks to friends and family, and around public and commercial areas to minimize the liability issue associated with visitors being affected by the plants. Controlling weeds in landscape plantings is much more complex than controlling weeds in turfgrass. Stands of turfgrass are generally made up of one or two perennial grass species. These species can be intensively managed to promote their growth to the competitive disadvantage of weeds. When weeds do encroach, calibrated herbicide applications are relatively easy to make in the open areas in which turfgrasses grow.
Many herbicides are available to selectively remove weeds from turfgrasses.
Landscape plantings often include a much greater variety of plant materials. Annual and perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, low growing ground covers, and a variety of shrubs and trees can all be growing in the same landscape bed. It is difficult, if not impossible, to find an herbicide that is labeled for use in some landscape beds that contain a wide variety of plant material. Selectively removing perennial broadleaved weeds from herbaceous perennial flowers is almost impossible. Another problem is the difficulty in making uniform, calibrated herbicide applications in landscape beds.