Considering Ground Elder in Your Garden: Advice from the RHS's Head Horticulturist on Eradicating or Maintaining This Persistent Weed
Managing Ground Elder in the Garden: A Comprehensive Guide
As spring arrives and gardens begin to bloom, the emergence of weeds prevails, with ground elder being a common and persistent concern for gardeners. This invasive weed, known by various names including bishop's weed, gout weed, and gout wort, can rapidly spread and smother desired plants. However, is it essential to eradicate every last trace of it?
Ground elder should be managed carefully, taking into account its potential benefits for biodiversity. Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), suggests that ground elder can be left undisturbed in less-used garden areas, providing shelter and sustenance for beneficial insects such as beetles, moths, and butterflies. Foraging some of its edible leaves can also add to your kitchen harvest, particularly in wilder parts of the garden.
But if ground elder becomes problematic or encroaches upon desired plantings, several natural methods can help manage its growth without impacting biodiversity.
Manual Removal
Careful digging is an effective means of uprooting ground elder. Dig around the plant and remove as much of the extensive root system as possible. Due to its propensity to regrow from even small fragments, you may need to repeat the process several times to ensure complete eradication.
Smothering and Mulching
Covering infested areas with black plastic or several layers of cardboard can aid in suffocating ground elder by blocking light and air. Alternatively, applying well-rotted compost and planting directly into the compost layer can also be effective, as the decomposing cardboard will prevent ground elder from growing.
Lawn Competition
Sowing a strong utility grass seed and applying lawn fertilizer in sunny spots can help establish a dense, healthy lawn that competes well with ground elder, eventually weakening and eliminating the unwanted weed.
For effective prevention, inspect new plants and topsoil carefully before introducing them to your garden to avoid accidental introduction of ground elder.
Tools and Equipment
- A digging fork
- A pair of gardening gloves
- A quality lawn fertilizer
By employing these natural methods and adopting a strategic approach to managing ground elder, you can maintain a thriving garden without compromising biodiversity. Happy gardening!
Maintaining a balanced garden lifestyle includes considering the potential benefits of unwanted plants like ground elder, such as providing shelter and sustenance for beneficial insects in less-used garden areas. However, if ground elder becomes problematic or encroaches upon desired plantings, smothering and mulching with black plastic or several layers of cardboard, or planting strong utility grass seeds and applying lawn fertilizer in sunny spots, can help manage its growth without impacting biodiversity.
