Our property is over half wooded and for the last few years, two invasive plants have really made their presence known. Dames Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolate) are now well established.
It’s interesting that both these plants were grown purposely in Europe before they became a nuisance here. Garlic Mustard is edible and can be used as a salad green and Dame’s Rocket was a garden flower grown much like phlox, to which it has a very similar appearance.
Garlic Mustard
The garlic mustard actually seems to be subsiding on the property after it was dominant in the woods for about four years. The Dame’s Rocket is still on the upcycle and is encroaching everywhere. It’s established on roadsides and woods and seems to be spreading unchecked.
Dames Rocket L Garlic Mustard R.
They say handpicking is good control, and neither weed is that hard to pull, they have similar root systems, but I’m not pulling 10,000 plants, so I’m just going to live with them. The Dame’s Rockets is actually quite pretty when it is in bloom.
Dames Rocket
Garlic mustard in my part of VA is a real headache. No matter how much we pull, it just keeps coming!
I have both of those plants, too. In fact, at more former home I bought seeds of Dame’s rocket and deliberately planted it, because besides being pretty, it has a wonderful evening fragrance. No need to do that here! I pull it where I don’t want it, but otherwise leave it be, because I’m an invasive plant hypocrite: I only try to eradicate the aliens I don’t like. What you said about garlic mustard reminded me of an offhand comment I read once and decided to follow up on. Researchers have found that garlic mustard dies off on its own if you leave it be. Apparently over time it makes the soil inhospitable for itself. Here’s one source to check up on: http://www.nyisri.org/2021/01/research-summary-garlic-mustard-decline/ At my former home I used to spend hours pulling it every year but never eradicated it. My son now owns that property and has no time to spend pulling garlic mustard, and it’s now everywhere! It will be interesting to see if it declines on its own. Currently, my approach is to pull blooming stalks if I happen to see them, but not go on a witch hunt. I don’t know if I can bring myself to just leave it be all together.