ground elder

A food source imported into England by the Romans that got out of control. Also called Bishop’s weed, has white flower clusters like poison hemlock, but leaves are very different, more like an Elder (but unrelated). Small white 5-petal flowers. Very invasive nuisance plant that takes over other plants, even a tiny piece of root left in ground grows new plants, making this is a limitless food source. All aboveground parts are edible (not roots) Young leaves used as salad greens. Pinch off pre-flowering bugs to keep leaves more nutritious. Plant is diuretic and laxative. Used medicinally for gout, arthritis, rheumatism, bladder disorders. Has triangular stem (no toxic lookalike does)

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References in periodicals archive

Clipping away the ground elder revealed them in all their glory (see pic).

GREEN SCENE WITH LYNNE ALLBUTT

The only way to tackle it in established beds is to dig up your cultivated plants and carefully tease out the white roots of the ground elder. Just be warned that you need to remove every single white strand of root from the earth when you do dig the ground elder up.

A perennial problem; HOW TO BEAT THE HARDY WEEDS INVADING YOUR GARDEN THIS SUMMER

The only way to tackle it in established beds is to dig up plants and carefully tease out the white roots of the ground elder. You must remove every single white strand of root.

Weed out those unwanted garden invaders

No sooner have you weeded the beds and borders during a fine spell than you'll have to do it again following a downpour, as seedlings emerge and difficult perennial weeds such as ground elder, couch grass and bindweed do their worst, climbing up plants or spreading their underground roots so they are virtually impossible to eradicate.

Rain on weeds' parade; HOW TO BANISH GARDEN PESTS

So far I haven't had time to do much, with the exception of waging war on the ground elder infestation.

The Mag: HOMES & GARDENS - Wide world of true wonders

Nettles and docks always give the game away, but you'll get away with ground elder flowers as they look quite pretty.

GARDEN SHORT CUTS GSJt

GET RID OF THE LAST OF THE WEEDS Try to dig out any pernicious perennial weeds you see lurking, such as bindweed, couch grass and ground elder. You'll need to dig them out completely, root and all, as if you leave any fragments of root in the soil they will come back in spring.

Five last-minute jobs to do in the garden before the winter weather arrives; HANNAH STEPHENSON GIVES SOME GARDENING TIPS AS WE HEAD INTO WINTER

4 GET RID OF THE LAST WEEDS TRY to dig out any pernicious perennial weeds you see lurking, such as bindweed, couch grass and ground elder. You'll need to dig them out completely, root and all, as if you leave any fragments of root in the soil they will come back in spring.

Last-minute jobs before winter arrives

Don't add meat, fish or bones to the heap because you'll just attract rats, and keep out really tough weeds such as ground elder, which may survive in the heap, and diseased plants, which should be binned or burned.

Don't let waste go to waste; Make the most of this age of recycling by creating your own compost heap, Hannah Stephenson advises GARDENING

Similarly reluctant to surrender is ground elder. These beasts can grow 5-6ft a year if you let them.

TUMBLE WEEDS; Tool up and fight 'em: In the garden: with Steve Riches OUR MAN WITH GREEN FINGERS

Wrth ochr y llwybr roedd llysiau'r gymalwst (Aegopodium podagraria; 'ground elder') yn tyfu'n dal a chryf.

Tro ar ynys gyfareddol; BYD NATUR