Can you snip off a small portion to take a closeup photo of? The more distant view is very indistinct, even when enlarged, but it looks very cursorily like a groundcover juniper. If so, it is a very sparse one, thus allowing the weed development. Typically these are much denser plants so something is affecting its growth if we can confirm that ID.

@gardengal - does this help? It really isn't sparse, the picture above captured the carved out area where a crepe myrtle and tulips are planted.

It is a juniper :-) And it is also very sparse.......healthy groundcover junipers tend to be very densely needled. Such that you cannot see any soil under the longer limbs or between the branches. Typically, they grow so dense, weeds are unable to grow up through them.

Thank you for the id! I thought it might be juniper; but wasn't sure.

We don't get a lot of weeds but we get some. My husband is adamant that we don't remove the groundcover but the weeds make me crazy. This is what is currently growing in/on it. Any ideas on how to get rid of it for good?

That is chickweed, which is a cool season annual weed. Until you get the juniper into a healthier, denser state so that it covers the soil surface completely and more thickly, you are not going to get rid of it "for good" :-( Cleaning out under the juniper and mulching may help to keep spontaneous weed growth down but won't eliminate it.

You are a fountain of knowledge! Thank you. What do I need to do to make this juniper healthier and denser? And how exactly does one go about cleaning out under this stuff and mulching it? I fear snakes and other critters may be making their homes in there!

You can try raking out the debris and dead stuff first. And honestly, it doesn't look thick enough for anything too sinister to be hiding underneath.

And without knowing where it is planted, what the soil is like and what other conditions it is in, it's hard to give much advice on the juniper. Many types of GC junipers are prone to some fungal issues that cause dieback. Generally, all they want is sun and well drained soil to do well.

Thanks so much for all your help! I think I'm in 7b - North Carolina. I'll see what I can do for this juniper - if I have to keep it, I'd love to not have to deal with weeds! I have far too many other beds that already need that weeding.

Your juniper may be thicker than it looks. Pick up the end of it and shake off all the mulch. As for weeding chickweed, it comes out so easily that I think raking (especially a small hand cultivator) will take care of it. I also will ask again my question about the need to weed chickweed at all, given that it doesn't deplete nutrients in the soil because it fixes nitrogen and disappears soon enough on its own. Anyone know?

There's a culinary solution to this :-)

Chickweed is EXTREMELY aggressive. (Ask me how I know.) It sets seed prolifically and if you throw pulled plants in flower on the compost, it can set seed right there.

In addition, I would ask if the juniper is getting enough sun. In shade they really struggle; they want full sun.

I know you want to keep the juniper groundcover, and so does husband. I just have to caution you, over time the juniper will not stay a groundcover height - and if you want to plant other pretty things amongst it - those will likely be buried or crowded out by it. I have the house and yard I grew up in, and my Dad was a big fan of junipers. They are old, and seem indestructible. I cut them back, some have got over 4 feet tall - I had several torn out of the rockery just so I had room to plant some decent looking things. I will be having a landscaper with a truck & a big chain or lots of helpers & chainsaws take out the bank of them in my front yard. I am picturing that little tree coming up in the middle of a sea of junipers, and all the little daffodils gone. I found this pic online, it is labeled a shore juniper. A groundcover juniper that I find different descriptions of it, anywhere from 1 - 2 feet tall to "always under a foot." Some of these things don't play nice, they take over. Just my .02, for what it's worth.

Some junipers get over 4 ft tall, many do not; the ground cover ones will stay quite low. There are many varieties and it depends on the ones you have.

Groundcover junipers are quite different from the larger growing shrub or tree forms and will not necessarily get any taller than they are currently. Many stay very flat....only a couple of inches above the soil surface

Preen should end your juniper weed problem. Along with any other weeds you have. It won't get rid of weeds that are already growing but after you get rid of them it will keep more from sprouting. Perennial weeds can be killed by spraying the crowns with full strength glyphosate taking care not to get any on desirable plants. You can do this by using a piece of cardboard to shield them.

Thanks Kyle! I've used Preen in my other beds and it seems to work well...I just wasn't sure if I could use it in the juniper without harming it. Do I just spread it over the top of the juniper or do I need to somehow get it under?

Not sure. Preen is listed for use on juniper but I'm not sure if it would harm the foliage if it got on it. I would either use it and make sure I watered it in well making sure I washed it completely off the foliage or try a small test spot to see if damage occurs. But I'm pretty sure it won't hurt it whatever you decide to do. Best of luck. I love pre-emergent herbicides. They save me so much work.

Cool. I think it will be fine. I will be glad to hear how it goes. Will probably take a few weeks to know for sure. Best of luck. And remember if on the off chance there is some damage I seriously doubt it would kill the juniper itself.

I love all junipers. I grow many different kinds and collect as many as I can.