I never heard of dollar weed before I moved here, but I'll tell you what. After 9 years, I can identify dollar weed at 100 paces. This weed is the most tenacious plant I have ever encountered and I've rustled with a few. Up north it was crab grass and we did everything we could to eradicate it. Down here, we call it St. Augustine grass and we try to grow it. Go figure.

So, back to dollar weed. Our backyard was actually fairly weed free when we moved here. Then we had some soil delivered so we could prevent any flooding from the pond and the first little seedlings began to pop their ugly little heads. It has now spread throughout the entire backyard, particularly in the area I was hoping to landscape.

Dollar weed, for the novices reading this, grows in wet areas and can be partially controlled by reducing the amount of water it receives. That, my friend, is a bunch of hooey. I don't care how wet or dry it is, dollar weed aka pennywort grows anywhere it wants anytime it wants. The plant spreads through underground runners and try as you might, you can never pull the entire runner out of the ground. There will always be a little piece there just waiting to sprout. It's sorta like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors - it will never go away.

Chemicals will help to control it but I don't like chemical use, especially around the pond and our pets. So, I have finally decided to stop fighting it. In fact, I'm going to let it become my ground cover and plant around and through it. This way my landscaping will look green and luscious, if no one looks closely, and I won't have to get down on my hands and knees to keep pulling it out! Happy Florida Gardening.