There are hundreds of different types of weeds found in the typical garden, and in fact, the definition of a weed is a plant which crowds out cultivated plants. This means that any plant you don't want in your garden is classed as a weed.

A plant that grows where it is not wanted can range from simply spoiling a beautiful garden or flower bed, to actually being a permanent and invasive problem, which comes back year after year, however hard you try to remove the invasive plant.

Common weeds include dandelions and broad leaved plantain, which typically spoil a nicely manicured lawn. Other lawn weeds include clovers and even plants such as parsley, which can grow when you are not looking! In more shaded areas there can be problems with plants such as dock leaves and also nettles. You can also be invaded by plants such as thistles and brambles, which are tricky to get rid of because of their spikes.

Many weeds will spread seeds, if they are not treated early enough in the year. These seeds will lay in the ground until the next year, and, in this way, the weeds will slowly infiltrate a cultivated area. They also often get a head-start on the plants you would like to grow, because they can germinate at a lower temperature than the flowers and plants.

So, how to get rid of weeds from your garden and lawn? There is no single answer to this problem because of the wide variety of weeds that can occur. It is important to consider each area of the garden separately, to take into account the types of plant you would like to grow in an area, and also to identify the types of weed you are suffering from as early as possible.

For a grassy area, such as a lawn, there are not many choices as to how to deal with weed problems. Although you could remove the top soil and effectively start again with new turf, this often does not completely solve the problem, and it is a fairly radical solution. Of course, you would get a lovely lush lawn in the process, so some people are happy to do this. It is important to remember that there may be weeds in the surrounding borders which can eventually creep back onto your lawn. Choose a strong growing lawn variety so that it will "out-grow" any weeds which try to invade.

An alternative is to treat the lawn with a weed killer specifically designed for use on lawns. These killers target fast growing weeds and can actually help your grass to grow more richly. You must test on a small area first, as some of these killers do more harm than good, and a patchy lawn can look a real mess.

For the border, you have more options. The keen gardener will be regularly working with borders and over an extended period of time, it is possible to completely remove all weeds. Simply by being careful to remove as much as possible of the root structure of weeds, as early as possible, will prevent any weeds from taking hold. Dig the soil as deep as possible, removing any unwanted root structures when they are found and you will have loose, weed free soil ready for you to plant what you actually want to grow.

There are a number of DIY methods that you can use to help reduce the hold of weeds in the garden. Vinegar has been suggested as a great method for reducing weeds without the risk of poisoning to animals and birds. This is a great way to remove all types of weeds, and it is recommended that you spray your weeds with strong distilled vinegar on a hot day. The acid in the vinegar will kill the weeds. As with all chemical treatments, you must be careful to avoid spraying the plants you want to keep as they will be harmed by this.