Does anyone have a suggestion on how to kill
to control the plant known as goat's beard? It is to the point of taking over the yard.

hmmmmm...have you tried a strong (pickling or stronger) vinegar spray? Be careful if you spray around plants you love, for you may lose them too...

I have had good results from smothering underground invasives with layering sheets of newspaper, then heavy wood mulch. To rescue an entire bed, Gail's choice of a black plastic covering would be even more sure. If the invasive is within an established bed, all the 'keepers' need be relocated until the enemy is evicted by smothering. This is necessary anyway, if the weed plant has already invaded the root zones of desirable plants. Then they must be completely dug up for exploratory surgery. Not fun. I spent months tackling Physostegia and soapwort Saponaria during our dormant seasons, when the keepers tolerated the disruption more easily. If Anon can use the vinegar safely in his/her bed, it sure would be easier than the alternative.

I just bought some potent vinegar today from Dan's Crowley Feed store, to kill weeds in the lawn and between the patio pavestones. David suggested getting the 10% vinegar instead of 20, as it is so very caustic. but if that fails, I shall have a go at the 20%. Acids such as vinegars, can kill simple-root systems on contact, rather than systemicly. I am trying some muriatic acid on unwanted bamboo (slash, stab, pour) expecting it to kill only the treated stalks, rather than all its root-connected kin.

Goatsbeard Aruncus would be hard to establish in our summer-arid zone, except in stream-side sites, but we have the same problem with other root-invasives here. The trick to enjoy growing underground root-spreaders is finding just the right spot to keep it contained; again with the microclimate/zone factor.
Send us field reports Anon, of your ongoing battle!

I was baffled by the original message until I consulted "Northwest Weeds: The Ugly and Beautiful Villains..." by Ronald J. Taylor. Anonymous must be talking about Tragopogon, which is called both goatsbeard and salsify. We don't see it much in rainy western Washington, but I remember admiring its beautiful seed heads when I was in Wyoming. That was before I was a gardener!

We have a perennial in our garden called goat's beard, and it's certainly not a pest. Its botanical name is Aruncus dioicus.

Sorry that I have no useful contribution to make to the discussion. I am guessing that the weedy goatsbeard is similar to dandelions in our area - the seeds blow in, and the plants are almost impossible to get rid of.

No no Susan, your contribution is most appreciated - in the clarification of Anon's dilemma and an excellent example of the value in using the International plant language! Join in any time and especially with your expertise on cultivating ornamentals in lands where it actually rains during the summer ;-)
Wait till you guys see her garden .....

Does anyone have any suggestions on getting rid of nutgrass? I have a very large raised rose bed in the center of my circular driveway. While the roses are doing great, digging up the nutgrass is backbreaking. I suspect the original owners filled the bed with soil they just scooped up from the pasture, thus bringing in the nutgrass. With the perfect drainage, I had hoped to put some herbs like lavender and rosemary in the bed, but the constant weeding (digging) of the nutgrass would definitely disturb the roots. HELP!

I took your question above, Carolyn and posted it as a new topic, all to itself, since it is such a signifigant problem around here. I had moaned about it under another discussion too and think putting it on its own heading might get us some help from others, more efficiently! I shall post more of my moaning there tonight, so we can all commiserate together!

Oh, and talk about me jumping around ... here's another link to Susan's site, since I mentioned it above,,, and now that she's completed the domain conversion.

Worthog Garden

We are in for some of your Seattle weather this week Susan - suppose to rain for 5 days in a row. Now that has to a record. So I have been digging like a mad woman for days, trying to get all those newbies in the beds, so I won't have to water them every day until they are established. If I get them in before the rains, I won't have to drag hoses (hose pipes to Terry) around all week ,,, if the weather forecasters (guessers to me) are right. With the free time, I might even get to finish a May Come Stroll before June ;-)

Ya'll enjoy your trip to Susan's ... she has some real beauties and the site is really well done.

Now you mention the weather Maggie, I must thank you once again for sending me some of yours. It was in the low eighties again yesterday and looks like another hot and sunny one today (can this really be mid May in the North of England). My garden is rapidly taking on the appearance of a jungle, never seen plants grow so fast, butterflies are everywhere, trouble is it's so warm the little devils won't stay still for a piccie or ten.
Went to the garden centre, just for a look you understand, then this tiny little clematis marmoraria, sitting there covered in tiny cream flowers, with green stamens filling the cetre of each one, just called out to me (as they do). Well it seemed so lonely in the basket so I when I spotted a clematis viticella Betty Corning (small pale blue bells from mid to late summer), I decided it should have a friend for the short journey home.
The viticella will is now planted to grow up and into my c. orientalis orange peel (flowers open as little yellow lanterns and age to orange). They may clash in colour as the yellow changes to orange, but lots of other plants in my garden do, so what's one more to jar the scenses.
If we got to you with the euphorbias Maggie, you will have no resistance whatsoever for the clemmies.

And me, here, soooo proud of my three clemmies sitting on my potting bench but now both you and Maggie have done it. Not only do mine now seem very common and dull, I must get out there and plant them before the (hopeful) monsoon! And, Susan, I loved your site. I especially wish I had the shade for some Japanese maples but here in the South, if you don't have the shade, they just burn away! Lovely site and garden!

Hey Gail there isn't a clematis alive that is boring and dull, if you can grow the large flowered ones, think how lucky you are. I can't keep most of them, the dreaded wilt gets them every time, but I do have lots of the smaller flowered types and they seem surprisingly resistant to it.