April 29, 2009

Lesser Celandine: Scourge of the Garden



Does this plant look familiar?  If it does, then I am sorry.  You probably have to fight it in your garden, where it forms a choking green mat that prevents anything from growing.  This invasive Eurasian plant is currently everywhere in our garden, and is creeping its way into the woods behind the house.  And don't think that simple weeding will do the trick.  Lesser celandine forms little tubers that break off very easily when pulled, and new plants will grow back from these tubers.  In short: it is extremely difficult to eradicate.  We've got a method of weeding where we delicately tease the plant out after first loosening the soil with a claw.  Do not compost this plant, as the tubers will survive in your homemade fertilizer and you'll risk spreading it all over the place.

We can win Syracuse back from lesser celandine.  All it takes is vigilance.  Good luck.

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