In spring, garlic mustard often eclipses many of our other invasive species. For a change of pace, consider another Top 20 species, dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis). Dame’s rocket is a cousin of garlic mustard, with a similar life history (biennial–a little rosette for one year, then bolting tall and flowering in its second spring before it dies that summer) and bloom time. However, humans brought dame’s rocket for beauty instead of food. Luckily, dame’s rocket can be controlled in much the same way as garlic mustard–pulling is effective for small and medium populations and herbicide works best for very large ones. Dame’s rocket is especially a problem in natural areas that are near gardens, but the tiny seeds can spread far beyond urban parks. Learn more about dame’s rocket on our website.
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