If I’ve ever given you the impression that I’m a real, hot-shot, know-it-all gardener, then I apologize. It’s simply not true- every time I read an article or attend a workshop, I learn something new. The only thing I know for certain is that I have a whole lot more to learn.

This weekend was a good example…it was, finally, a wonderful weekend! Clear blue sky, warm sunshine, not hot, not too cold, a nice breeze and I wasn’t in the office! I finally managed to plant most of the zinnia plants we’d started from seed (see my blog “Proud Parents”) and I did some weeding as well.

Now, since last fall, I’d been keeping my eye on a vigorous and healthy volunteer…it was a nice round mound, with leaves that looked like it might be a hollyhock. Since hollyhocks are biennials, I was looking forward to seeing it bloom this year.

I gradually weeded my way over to the area where the volunteer was….it had shot up fairly tall and was blooming. Was it a hollyhock? Oh, no! Now that it was blooming, I knew what it was: one of the biggest, healthiest garlic mustard plants I had ever seen!

Very red in the face (and not just from working hard), I quickly pulled out that bad boy, hoping that none of my friends had seen it. I would have lost my reputation as a gardener!

Garlic Mustard

Now, garlic mustard (Allaria petiolata) is another one of those “good guys gone bad”. Native to most of Europe, parts of Asia and Africa, and the British Isles, it’s an ancient potherb used for food and medicine. The young leaves have a pleasant garlic taste, while the root tastes like horseradish. There are recipes for garlic mustard dishes available on the web, although I’ve never tried to make any.

Like dandelions, garlic mustard was brought over as an important food plant. Unlike dandelions, it does real harm –an invasive species taking over the understory layer of forests, blocking out the native plants which native wildlife need for food and habitat. “Over there”, some wildlife feed on it or prey on it. In North America, it has no benefits to wildlife and is toxic to some species of butterflies.

In Indiana, according to the Nature Conservancy, garlic mustard is one of the ten most destructive invasive species in the state. Pulling the plant out by hand, like I did, is effective only if you get that taproot too. Otherwise, it will (just like the dandelion) re-grow. Pull it, bag it, put it in the trash and send it to the landfill. If you have a large infestation, you might want to check with your County Extension Agent…or, you could try fixing it for dinner!

Stay Green, Good Friends!