Can I grow bindweed as an intentional ground cover?

9 years ago

In my backyard, I have a lovely luscious patch of what I just learned is field bindweed. It's verdent, beautiful, and supresses my usual crop of ugly weeds like a champion.

My backyard is a huge rectangle, fruit trees and flowers (mostly salvia and roses) around the border, and in the center i had in mind to plant a white clover lawn... Could I mix the bindweed into that, or is that just playing with fire? Does bindweed kill fruit trees? Will it outcompete white clover?

But I'm particularly interested in using it in the front yard where the soil is terribly dry and compacted and *nothing* will grow except weeds like oxalis and bermuda grass. Believe me, I've tried to grow everything in that front yard, but it's dominated by a massive peppertree and nothing will grow underneath! I'd love to replace my ugly weeds in the front with a pretty weed. I have a couple hydrangeas out there, would bindweed kill those? They're in the shade.

I'm in zone 9, California.

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Comments (3)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years ago
I would not recommend it unless you really don't want to grow anything else. It is no less a weed than Oxalis and Bermuda and is very difficult to eradicate. It won't kill fruit trees but it will become inextricably tangled up with Salvias, Roses and any other perennials or shrubs. It will not play well with the Clover.
lisanti07028
9 years ago
That way lies madness. And whoever lives in your house after you will curse you forever.
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Dingo
4 years ago
My whole life I have hated bind weed. But now, I would really like to grow it as a ground cover to replace my lawns. I love how thick it grows, how it feels on my bare feet. I love the flowers. I love how fast it spreads. I love that the only known things that can kill it are intense nuclear radiation or Round-Up. It stays low to the ground. It doesn't require water, or mowing. It's beautiful. There is nothing NOT to love about bind weed..... except that it is uncontrollable, kills all other plant life in it's path and it can't be killed without a lot of Round-Up or hard to get nuclear materials. My neighbors would hate me. Oh but I wish.