Hi! My dear wife Carol is requesting that I find a chemical to kill
weeds in her flower garden keeping the flowers out of harms way in the
process. I understand there is such a thing. How about it? Thanks
--Smack

Hello Smack~

There are a number of products out there that can be sprayed or
sprinkled around established plants in order to kill surrounding
weeds.

Emphasis should be placed on *established* plants. In other words, you
don?t want to use these products around freshly planted items, or very
young plants. I recommend that you wait a year before applying weed
killer around "babies."

In addition, your wife should know that if she has perennials or
annuals that re-seed, weed killers will destroy those seedlings.

That said, here are the products I recommend for killing weeds; all
should be available at local nurseries, garden centers, and home
improvement stores:


ROUNDUP
This product is sprayed directly on weeds, and is absorbed through the
leaves, spreading weed killer all the way to the roots. The main
ingredient is Glyphosate, and you can find many other sprays with this
ingredient; still, gardeners seem to have the best, most consistent
luck with Roundup. I have personally used this product, and can
testify to it?s effectiveness at killing stubborn weeds like
dandelions. Care must be taken not to accidentally spray plants you
wish to keep; a piece of cardboard comes in handy to shield desirable
plants from accidental spraying. Within 7 to 10 days, the weeds should
yellow up and then die. Don?t pull or hoe these weeds until they?re
completely dead. (Don?t worry; pulling or hoeing dead weeds is easy!)
For more about Roundup, please see the manufacturer?s website:
http://www.roundup.com


CASORON 
This is an excellent weed killer, in granule form. I have personally
used it in very difficult cases. For example, when I moved into a new
house, there was a lovely rose bush that had a well-developed
dandelion growing right in the middle of it. It was impossible to pull
by hand, and something like Roundup would kill the rose bush. So I
sprinkled Casoron on the weed, and in one application, the weed died,
never to return. For more information on this product visit the
manufacturer?s website: http://www.lillymiller.com/weed_control.html


PREEN
This product is not used to kill existing weeds, but to prevent new
weeds from growing once your flower beds are weed-free.  Preen should
be reapplied every 8 to 12 weeks. When using Preen, you should take
care not to get the granules on your desirable plants; if Preen comes
into contact with them, merely wipe off the granules. (Preen will only
harm your plants if it is persistently in contact with them.) The
manufacturer claims Preen may be used with seedlings as small as 2 to
3 inches tall. The manufacturer also produces ?Preen and Green,? which
combines weed killer with fertilizer. For more information about
Preen, visit their website: http://www.preen.com/newpreen/index.jsp


These are the only weed controllers you?re likely to need, and they'll
work extremely well, if applied as directed.

Happy gardening!

Kriswrite

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Roundup weed: ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=roundup+weed
Casoron Lily Miller:
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Preen: ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=preen
Weed Killer: ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=weed+killer