aegopodium

Of the five or so species of Aegopodium, most are invasive weeds that spread by underground fleshy stems, however, some gardening experts advocate the use of a variegated form, which they asserted is less vigorous. Aegopodium. podagraria "Variegatum"

Ground elder will spread and cover those moist shaded areas of the garden where little else will grow. The leaves are up to 4in (10cm) across, with variable height 2-10in (5-25cm), in early summer it produces clusters of white flowers held above the underlying leaf canopy. Ground elder is grown mainly for its foliage.

It is suggested that if ground elder can be restricted to growing in poor soils it should not become a problem.

Varieties: -


Aegopodium. podagraria	Form: An invasive carpeting Perennial Height: 2-10in Spread: Unlimited Foliage: Light to Dark Green leaves Flowers: During early Summer producing white flowers on erect stems above the leaf canopy.

Aegopodium. podagraria var "Variegatum"	Form: An invasive carpeting Perennial Height: 2-10in Spread: Unlimited Foliage: Light to Dark Green leaves, with cream markings. Flowers: During early Summer producing white flowers on erect stems above the leaf canopy.

Cultivation: -

Ground elder will grow in any soil, especially the poorer soils where nothing else will grow.

My own experience of ground elder is that if it grows in more fertile soils it will produce much more lush growth and produce far bigger and more substantial plants, which will thrive at the expense of more desirable plants, simply by excluding the light they need to survive.

The only way that I can envisage anyone seriously considering the introduction of ground elder into their garden, is to either restrict the possibility of it spreading by its underground fleshy root system through burying an impenetrable barrier such as overlapping plastic sheeting to a depth of 3ft (1m) or more, or to grow it it pots.

Authors Comment:-

To most people Ground Elder is a weed. People move house to avoid it !

It is a plant that I consider to rank highly in the list of thugs I would not invite into my garden.

An established patch of Ground Elder can be almost impossible to eradicate, especially if it has crossed the boundaries from, or into, neighbouring properties. Attempts to dig it up will almost certainly be a futile exercise, unless one is prepared to sift the soil through a sieve and remove even the smallest pieces of the fleshy roots from which the plant will regrow.

My own experience with ground elder is that it can only be beaten through repeated spraying with a weed-killer based on Glyphosate, invariably requiring that one reaches an agreement with one's neighbours to mount a joint offensive against it.

Whilst I am filled with doom and gloom at the thought of Ground Elder in my garden, there are those who have either inherited Ground Elder, or are prepared to tolerate its excesses.

Ground Elder is an excellent ground cover plant, and will help to prevent weeds from thriving; If one can work with Ground Elder rather than trying to fight it, I can see the possibility of growing taller herbaceous perennials through an under-planting of ground elder.

However, given a choice I would use Helxine (Mind-Your Own Business / Baby's Tears). In my experience, Helxine is far more dense and does a much better job of excluding weeds, and has the added bonus of providing a natural thermal blanket during the winter, helping to protect the roots of my Fuchsias and Dahlias from severe damage.

Helxine comes in three basic leaf colours, a bright lime green, dark green, and a variegated form.