Lamium purpureum

Lamium purpureum
“Purple Dead Nettle”
LAMIACEAE

Annual or Biennial Weed

Native habitat : Europe

Conditions
Soil: average
Moisture: average
Light: full sun
Exposure: general
Plant size (h x w): 3″ – 8″
Other: can take a wide range of conditions but will be larger and more lush in better soils

Aesthetic
Shape/stem: upright square stem
Leaf: alternating opposites, finely hairy, green at the bottom to purple at the top, wavy to serrated margins, heart-shaped to oval, veined
Flower:  purple, crowded into dense terminal raceme, zygomorphic, top hood
Bloom: April to August,
in Victoria seeds itself around mostly in early spring (and will flower starting late winter to summer)
Other: roots at nodes, generally produces around 300 seeds per plant

Removal
Remove by easily pulling out before it goes to seed ensuring you have taken the root too
Propagate: seed; roots at nodes; will naturally spread itself around

Uses
Landscape: introduced; weed
Medicinal: traditionally some herbal medicine uses; young leaves and flowers edible
Other:

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: none significant
Deer resistant:
Other animals: brings in pollinators 

Interest
Local info,: introduced in 1985 to Victoria and has spread itself around since; has a negative impact on our native Garry oak ecosystem (disrupting mosses and shading out delicate bulbs)
Nature:
Identification (key features): square stem, fine hairs on leaves, purple color at top, see photos:
Interesting facts:
Comments: 

Lamiastrum galeobdolon ‘Variegatum’

Lamiastrum galeobdolon ‘Variegatum’
syn. Lamium galeobdolon
“Variegated yellow archangel”
LAMIACEAE

Herbaceous Perennial – Invasive Weed

Native habitat : Europe / Eurasia

Invasive

Conditions
Soil: any – including clay
Moisture: well drained – can be drought tolerant
Light: part sun to full shade (dry shade tolerated but will slow it down)
Plant size (h x w): 1′ – 2′ x which can spread indefinitely
Other: very fast growing, hard to contain, hard to get rid of

 Aesthetic
Spreads by stolon and seed; elliptical to triangular leaves, toothed, acute tip, fine hairs, green, variegated with silver markings, opposite, square stems, mat, creeping; flowers yellow hooded upper petal and lipped lower petal, in clusters on stem nodes, flowering April to May

Removal/Maintenance
Is not easy to get rid of: only way to get it out is to remove all of the bed to 2′ deep, wash all the plants roots and then put them back in                                                                     with new soil; cut down flower heads

Uses
Often used as a ground cover but its herbaceous so not a great fit for Victoria;
*if you are going to use it is should always be contained, container or hanging basket; its so fast growing and spreads like crazy, once its planted its there to say
Do not put roots right into the compost, kill in the sun
Medicinal: 

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: slugs and snails eat it
Deer resistant: yes
Other animals:  rabbit resistant

Interest
Local info,: introduced; invasive especially in native areas
Identification (key features):

Comments:
L. maculatum “Spotted deadnettle”
zone: 5 – 9
6″ – 18″ x spreading indefinately
pink flowers, leaves with central stripe, mottled, rounded toothed
used in containers
be sure it is dead before composting

 

Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’

Aegopodium podagraria ‘Variegatum’
“Gout Weed” “Bishops weed” “Ground Elder” “English masterwort”
APIACEAE

Herbaceous Perennial – Groundcover- Invasive Weed

Native habitat : Eurasia

Highly invasive

Conditions
Soil: any – can tolerate poor
Moisture: well drained – can be drought tolerant
Light: full sun to full shade (best in part-shade)
Plant size (h x w): 6″ – 8″ x which can spread indefinitely
Other: very fast growing, hard to contain

Aesthetic
Spreads by rhizomes and seed; leaflets oval and serrated, basal foliage, light green with creamy white margins; flowers tiny white flat-topped, umbel, flower may to june

Removal/Maintenance
Is not easy to get rid of: only way to get it out is to remove all of the bed to 2′ deep, wash all the plants roots and then put them back in with new soil
Cut down flower heads

Uses
Often used as a ground cover but its herbaceous so not a great fit for Victoria; can compete with tree roots (but you will likely never get it out of that area after)
*if you are going to use it is should always be contained, container or mechanical barrier; its so fast growing and spreads like crazy, once its planted its there to say
Do not put roots right into the compost, kill in the sun
Medicinal: eat young leaves in the past

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: none significant
Deer resistant: yes
Other animals:  rabbit resistant

Interest
Local info,: introduced; invasive especially in native areas
Identification (key features):

 

Equisetum arvense

Equisetum arvense
“Field horsetail”
EQUISETACEAE

Noxious Perennial Weed

Native habitat : native to BC (along with the rest of the arctic and temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere)

Highly invasive with tubers bearing deep creeping root systems

Conditions it thrives in 
Soil: acidic
Moisture: moist
Light: full sun to full shade
Plant size (h x w): 10–90 cm x 3–5 mm
Other: once established in an area it can be virtually impossible to remove

Aesthetic
Shape/stem: separate sterlie non reproductive and fertile spore bearing plants; leafless fertile stems suculent textured off white with spore bearing cone on the top brown 10 – 40mm x 4-mm, sterile stems have whorls of green four-angular leaf-like branches green;
fertile stems appear in early spring and are non-photosynthetic, sterile stems grow after fertile stems have wilted and persist till autumn frosts;
underground rhizomatous stem system bearing tubers that can creep and spread almost unlimited  (as far as 20kms)

Removal
Is not easy to get rid of (may be impossible); tenacity is the name of the game; dig up always where it is seen; clear bed, 1″ lime, 3″ manure then continue to pull if rises out
Roundup etc will not work (and isn’t good for soil anyway, along with much more negatives)

If it is not in your bed yet but in surrounding areas (if it have not go there already and is just unseen) dig meters deep and put in plastic or other intense material boarder around bed

Uses
Medicinal: contains serveral substances that are used medicinally such as the mineral silicon, potassium and calcium, said to be a anodyne, antihaemorrhagic, antiseptic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, galactogogue, haemostatic and vulnerary, bulbs are eaten in Japan and Korea in spring; all other Equisetum are toxic 

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: none significant
Deer resistant: yes
Other animals:  rabbit resistant

Interest
Local info,: invasive native,
“living fossil”, historically one of only surviving line of plants dating back three hundred million years where these ancient plants ancestors  grew as tall as trees during the carboniferous period of prehistoric times
Identification (key features):

sometimes confused with Equisetum hyemale (see bellow) which is much taller and structurally different

Dipsacus sylvestris

Dipsacus sylvestris
syn. D. fullonum
“Common teasel”
DIPSACACEAE

Biennial Weed

Zone:
Native habitat : Eurasia, North Africa

Conditions
Soil: average
Moisture: prefers good moisture but will grow in drier
Light: full sun to part shade; prefers full sun
Exposure: general
Plant size (h x w): 3′ – 9′
Other: can take a wide range of conditions

Aesthetic
Shape/stem: prickly
Leaf: basal leaves first year; prickly rosettes, sessile, lanceolate, 8″-15″
Flower:  flowering stems second year up to height;  inflorescence,  cylindrical array, lavender; dries to a cone of spine-tipped hard bracts, 10 cm
Bloom:
Other: conditions determine size, can be small or large; deep taproot

Treatment (how to…)
Plant: remove by easily pulling out taproot
Maintain:  no maintenance; weed
Propagate: introduced weed; seed head has a yield of 2000 seeds

Uses
Landscape: introduced; noxious in some areas
Companion planting: 
Medicinal: traditionally some herbal medicine uses for root, homeopathic remedy is made from the flowering plant to treat skin diseases
Other: dried flower bouquet 

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: none significant
Deer resistant: yes
Other animals:

Interest
Local info,: introduced
Nature:
Identification (key features): dried seed heads, prickly leaves and stem
Interesting facts: seeds important winter food resource for some birds, especially European Goldfinch, often grown in gardens and nature reserves to attract these birds; sylvestris, referring to woodland, dipsacus referring to thirst or the pooling water that can be found in the leaves
Comments: 

Cardamine hirsuta

Cardamine hirsuta
“Hairy Bittercrest” “Popweed”
BRASSICACEAE

Herbaceous annual / winter annual  – Weed

Zone:
Native habitat : Europe though speculative as naturalized all over

Conditions
Soil: average – poor
Moisture: average – poor
Light: full sun to part shade
Exposure: general
Plant size (h x w): 3/4″ – 8″
Other: better conditions, better plant (indicator)

Aesthetic
Shape/stem:
Leaf: rossette of lacey, mustard tasting, leaves sessile to rachis, compound, stalked, hairy-fringed, pinnate, 2-3 pairs of egg-shaped to orbicular leaflets, larger kidney-shaped terminal leaflet; stem leaves few
Flower:  4 white petals, simple raceme;
Bloom: winter to spring
Other: slender 1″ seed pod, slender taproot, spreads a lot; invasive 

Treatment (how to…)
Plant: seeds pop out
Maintain:  no maintenance; weed
Propagate: seeds explode or spring out from narrow pods; must get rid of it before it goes to seed

Uses
Landscape: weed (edible garden); get rid of it before it goes to seed
Companion planting: 
Medicinal: edible leaves
Other: good indicator plant of soil conditions and diseases 

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: none significant
Deer resistant: yes
Other animals:

Interest
Local info,: Naturalized in Victoria since 1970ish; seems to be a second form appearing with less deeply divided leaves (may be C. pligosperma)
Pot size (to purchase): 
Nature: prolific, common, spreading weed, edible
Identification (key features): deeply lobed leaves in rossette 
Interesting facts:
Cultivation: C. pligosperma native to Alaska to California and Colorado
Comments:  invasive; good indicator of soil conditions; 

Bellis perennis

Bellis perennis
“English Daisy” “Common Daisy”  “Lawn Daisy” “Bruisewort”
ASTERACEAE

Herbaceous Perennial (Evergreen in Victoria) – Weed

Zone: 4-8 (USDA)
Native habitat : Europe; meadows

Conditions
Soil: average
Moisture: average water
Light: full sun to part shade
Exposure: general
Plant size (h x w): 3″ – 5″
Other: prefers good soil and moisture
(meadow like)

Aesthetic
Shape/stem: drooping, solidary, leaf rosettes at bottom
Leaf: rosettes, small, spoon-shaped, 1″-2″,  grow flat-ish to ground
Flower:  composite, many sessile flowers, solidary, 3″-4″, disk flowers (yellow, in center), ray flowers (white, sometimes tipped red, cultivars can be white, pink or wine red, around disk), surrounded by two rows of green bracts
Bloom: Spring
Other: spreads a lot

Treatment (how to…)
Plant: high germination
Maintain:  no maintenance; weed
Propagate: seed, expansion of crown (can walk seeds into the soil)

Uses
Landscape: meadow, rock garden, spring interest, cottage, between stones of walkways, ground cover, cultivars good biennial bedding plants
Companion planting: 
Medicinal: edible, young leaves, flowers; vitamin suppliment (VitC); astringent, wound care; homeopathy, wounds, post surgical procedures, soft tissue injuries, blunt trauma in animals; more

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: none significant
Deer resistant: yes
Other animals:

Interest
Local info,: Naturalized in Victoria
Pot size (to purchase): 
Nature: prolific, common, spreading daisy
Identification (key features): daisy like features, growing in lawn
Interesting facts: name comes from Bellis meaning “pretty”, perennis  “everlasting”;
Cultivation: there are a number of nice cultivars (different colours) that make nice biennial bedding plants
Comments:  if not desired be sure not to walk the seeds around a garden and into the grass

Daphne laureola

Daphne laureola
“Spurge laurel”
THYMELAEACEAE

Noxious Weed – Evergreen Shrub

Zone: 7 – 8
Native habitat: Europe

Conditions
Soil: average
Moisture: well drained, summer drought tolerant
Light: part shade to full shade
Exposure: n.a.
Plant size (h x w): 3′ x 6′ x 5′
Other:

Aesthetic
Shape/Stem:  stout
Leaf: glossy green, leathery, oblong, 6″ish, alternate
Flower: clusters, greenish-yellow, fragrant
Bloom: January to March
Other: black berries, should not plant

Treatment (how to…)
Plant:  don’t
Maintain: remove wearing gloves and don’t breath in root fumes, hand pull or dig
Propagate: n/a

Uses
Landscape:  noxious weed
Companion planting: replace with skimmias, helleboros, rhododendrones, mahonia nervosa, vaccium ovatum,
Medicinal: not known; very poisonous, especially berries
Other: sap will irritate skin, fumes can make sick

Vulnerabilities
Pests and disease: none known
Deer resistant:yes
Other animals: spread by birds eating the berries

Interest
Local info,: very noxious weed around Victoria found in woods and gardens, serious threat to our ecosystem
Nature: noxious invasive weed
Identification (key features): refer to photos above,
Interesting facts: introduced from Europe, thought to deposit chemicals in soil to stop establishment of native plants
Culitvars:
Comments: a dangerous garden thug (as i once heard it called)              

(invasive plant awareness pamphlet)            (daphne laureola overtaking native mahonia)