I have two plants that I call "weeds". They come up in my flower bed & if left alone, grow into a very large bush with thick branches. I've just been cutting it back to the ground each year, but i'd love to get rid of it permanently. I can't dig it out; roots seem to go on forever. Is there anything I can apply to it that will kill it & not harm the surrounding plants? moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
Do you have pics of the leaves and stem and flowers. Knowing the best way to get rid of a particular plant depends first upon identifying it correctly. I wonder what sort of X-file you have growing there.
If, after you have cut the "bush" down, there is a small stump remaining, you can put a high nitrogen fertilizer on the stump to kill roots. It sounds counter-productive to fertilize something you want to kill, but it works. Either drill a hole in the stump or make multiple cuts in it (a hatchet is handy but a saw works, too) and pour a liquid high nitrogen fertilizer into the cuts or hole. You may have to do this twice, especially if it rains within two days of application. Any "leakage" of the fertilizer won't hurt the surrounding plants.
