Lesser Celandine: A New Menace

Over the last 10 years of running a landscaping business, I have fought a lot of invasives: garlic mustard, oriental bittersweet, and multiflora rose. All of them can be managed with enough time and effort, but there is a new invasive on the block that I find especially problematic in the landscape: lesser celandine.

Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) is like that uninvited guest at a party who just won't leave! This perennial plant can crash your garden scene, especially if it finds itself in a damp, shaded area. Lesser celandine spreads through both its seeds and nodules, making it an especially nasty invasive.

To kick this leafy freeloader to the curb organically, try the good old-fashioned method of manual eviction. Make sure you grab the whole root system, because even a tiny root fragment left behind can bring this plant back like a bad sequel. It's best to do this in early spring, before it seeds, when the soil is damp and the roots are easier to yank out. Keep an eye on the area and pull out any new sprouts as they come in. Mulching with a thick layer of organic material can also suppress its growth by blocking sunlight and preventing the germination of seeds.

Another way to show lesser celandine the door is to bring in some plant bouncers. Plant native species that love the same conditions, and they'll help crowd out the celandine party crashers. Boosting your soil's health with compost and mulch can give these desirable plants a leg up while making the environment less appealing for lesser celandine.

In areas where the plant is particularly troublesome, using a combination of these techniques—manual removal, mulching, and planting competitive species—can create a more balanced ecosystem that naturally limits the spread of lesser celandine and keeps it from taking over your garden dance floor.

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