Some of you may be grabbing this blog for helpful tips (and yes there are plenty of those). But other readers will be thinking “Ground elder? Whats that?”
In this blog we’ll look at what it is and how to get rid of ground elder – or at least reduce its nuisance capacity. But we’ll also look at a couple of positive ways in which we can utilise this hardy perennial in the process.
Know the Enemy – a Bit of Botany and a Smidgen of Plant History
Ground elder, botanical name Aegopodium podagraria, is a hardy perennial plant.
The common name of ground elder suggests its related to the Elder tree (Sambucus species) but it isn’t. It was the similarity between the flowers and leaf shapes of the two species that gave rise to the common name ‘ground elder’.
Aegopodium is actually a member of the carrot family. You may have guessed this from the umbellifer shape of its flower heads. Indeed, it may be the flowers that make you realise that you have ground elder growing sneakily in a shady spot, possibly under a hedge.
Like the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) ground elder is able to spread both by seed and rhizomes, which are underground stems. This makes it a difficult to get rid of but not impossible, as we shall see.
Ground-elder is not a British native wildflower. It was probably introduced into the UK from continental Europe by the Romans, who were already using Aegopodium podagraria as both a food and medicinal herb when they brought it with them to Britain. But then it escaped from cultivated areas and naturalised across virtually the whole of the country; which is why we many of us have it in our gardens today.
Where in the garden will you find ground elder?
Most usually you’ll find it in a shady spot in your garden where it has snuck under the fence from a neighbour’s garden or an uncared for plot adjoining your land. The sort of area where you won’t notice it until the flowers add a splash of white amongst the general greenness.
Although it doesn’t have to grow in the shade: I have lots growing in a sunny, overgrown border. (Oh, the joys of an overgrown garden!)
Ground elder may also creep in Trojan horse style into your garden via a small piece of rhizome that was in the pot along with the plant you had intended buying. And it may be found growing in new lawns, flower borders, under shrubs and in the vegetable plot as well as under hedges, behind the garage and the shed, or maybe cheekily growing between paving slabs (it probably seeded itself there).
How to get rid of Ground Elder
As it is a naturalised species in the UK, it is not classed as invasive under the 1981 Countryside Act. However, in some parts of North America and Australia it is legally controlled as an invasive weed. Bear in mind that it may take some years before you have eradicated this weed from your garden. Much of the problem is a result not of your lack of effort, but how the ground elder is getting in to your garden in the first place. Which is not always something you can do much about.
However, what you can do something about, is tackling the problem within your boundaries.
How to Get Rid of Ground Elder Case Study 1
You have a border empty apart from the covering of ground elder and a few other weeds. This makes life easier as you can dig over the whole area. And you should still be able to use the border this season.
Once you get your spade into the ground you’re likely to see a spaghetti tangle of rhizomes. You’ll need to dig out all the roots you can see, as even small pieces of root have the ability to re-grow.
Option 1
Leave the area uncovered for 2 -3 days then go and check for new shoots. If there are any lift those out. If not check again in a couple of days. Repeat a couple more times. After this you can use the bed for annual plants – ornamental and / or edible. More ground elder will appear over the growing season so pull out the young stems.
The plan is then to tackle the border after the annuals have died or over winter when the bed is empty.
Option 2
Lay membrane or cardboard over the whole area, extending slightly beyond the edges if you can. The aim is to prevent light from reaching the ground elder. Pull out any weeds that start to appear at the edges.
You can either leave the cover down for a couple of years or tackle the problem in the autumn / winter / early spring the following year. Either way, follow the process in option 1 above.
Garden Teacher Tip
You don’t have to look at cardboard or membrane for 2 years. Use the space for growing in containers. For example, potatoes in sacks, tomatoes, lemon tree, herbs,. And of course those plants you couldn’t resist buying even though there wasn’t a space for them at the time.
How to Get Rid of Ground Elder Case Study 2
You’ve discovered ground elder has come under the hedge from an unloved garden next door. Its running riot – or soon will be – amongst shrubs and herbaceous perennials.
Option 1
In spring and autumn, you can easily lift herbaceous perennials. Early flowering ones are best lifted in autumn, later ones in spring, but if you need to lift all of them, then be prepared to cut them back so as to reduce the stress. NB this may mean fewer or no flowers for that year.
Thoroughly wash roots to remove any traces of ground elder, then pot up temporarily into containers. I’d also take this opportunity to divide larger plants, but that’s your choice.
Garden Teacher Tip
When working out where to start digging around the shrubs, bear in mind that the root ball of most shrubs will be approximately as large in diameter as their top growth. You may need to prune roots in order to get the shrubs out of the ground, in which case, you’ll need to prune the foliage and stems too.
Once you’ve removed all the plants that you’re able to, then get out your spade and start digging out the ground elder.
Aim to keep the plants in their temporary containers for as long as possible so that you can remove the new ground elder shoots as above.
Option 2
If you are not able to remove many of the plants from the flower border then you have a harder task and are really reduced to digging out as best you can. Lay membrane on any resulting bare soil.
Garden Teacher Tip
In early autumn, dig where you can and remove any likely rhizomes. Then plant hardy ground cover herbaceous perennials in the empty spaces. (see blog link below for ideas) They should settle in sufficiently by the following spring to offer competition to the ground elder. But you will still need to be weeding that out.
How to Get Rid of Ground Elder Case Study 3
You’ve recently laid new turf for a lawn and you notice some pesky ground elder coming through.
Action? Pull up the plants you see, and be relieved that regular mowing will reduce the overall vigour of the annoying weed. This is because you’re taking off the green, photosynthesising parts of the plant.
What do you do with ground elder once you’ve dug it up?
When you have dug up the ground elder do not put the plant remains in the compost heap! In Britain, put into your green waste bin or take to a local facility. Or …
Eat it!
Like many weeds, ground elder was one of the ‘pot herbs’. These provided a welcome addition to the spring stew after a lean winter. Like most spring greens, ground elder is a good source of vitamins A and C and iron.
Those young leaves can still be eaten as a fresh green vegetable in spring. Although be aware that ground elder has diuretic properties. And of course do all the usual checks of your own health, pregnancy and so on, as well as thoroughly washing the leaves before use.
Make it into a fertiliser tea
As you dig up the weeds, shake off the soil and throw them into a trug. When the trug is full, tip into a container that has a lid. (I often use the kerbside food waste container as we rarely fill that). Add water to cover, preferably from the waterbutt, put the lid on and leave in a shady place for 1 -2 weeks. Strain the smelly liquid and dilute the concentrate before using. See blog link below for full instructions.
And finally
Don’t panic if you’ve found flowering ground elder in your garden! Those compact umbels of white flowers that appear between June and August are attractive to a range of insects, so at least you’re doing a bit of wildlife habitat gardening…
And is ground elder a weed? I feel the answer is both yes and no, although leaning heavily towards the yes. But hopefully I’ve managed to suggest a range of tactics for you to try and get on top of the problem. Just remember it will take time.
For further gardening advice and inspiration, ideas for edible gardens, cottage gardens and more, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet
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