Goutweed: How to Get Rid of Invasive Ground Elder

Goutweed: How to Get Rid of Invasive Ground Elder
If I were to tell you there’s a groundcover sold at nurseries that could tolerate a range of conditions—poor soil, shade, and drought—and was deer-resistant with the benefit of being low-maintenance as well, you’d likely want to add it to your garden.
It is so aggressive that there’s a Facebook support group for those unlucky, unknowing folks who mistakenly welcomed it into their garden.
Goutweed in bloom in late spring at Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
What is goutweed?
Photograph by Marie Viljoen.
Goutweed is a perennial in the carrot family and is native to Europe and Asia. It comes in two varieties: green-leafed and variegated green and white.
Photograph by Marie Viljoen.
Why is goutweed so despised?
Goutweed is prohibited from being sold in several New England states.
Did I mention the support group? However the variegated can revert to the green variety at any time.
Photograph by Melinda Young Stuart via Flickr.
Goutweed’s pretty umbel flowers belie its evil, aggressive roots.
What makes goutweed so hard to eradicate?
Its ability to grow from a root fragment.
How do you get rid of goutweed?
Goutweed is still sold at nurseries. We found this Bishop’s Weed at Wholesale Nursery Co. for $90 for 100 plants.
Prevention is the best defense. Pick native plants that do well in the conditions you have and keep plucking out the goutweed sprouts.
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