Re: Garden thugs continued....

**h*@aol.com**

Actually what I was hoping for was responses to cultivated  plants that 
become thugs...but since garlic mustard was brought up...some  thoughts...

I've noticed that garlic mustard seem to be prevalent and  dominant where 
man has disturbed the soil or where there is heavy deer browsing  that 
results in a loss of understory including native annuals and  perennials.  What 
got me on this track is that I have a garden upstate (NY)  where garlic 
mustard seems to show up only in the perennial beds that I  cultivate.  I've been 
pretty fastidious about pulling it out before it  flowers and this has 
helped in reducing the occurrence dramatically.   What's interesting in this 
location though is that just two blocks away the  landscape becomes heavily 
wooded and at ground level ferns and wildflowers  abound.  I can go up the road 
for a mile or more and not see a  single garlic mustard plant.  Here the 
deer population is sparse  as you'd expect in the unpopulated forested woods.

Back down in suburban Westchester though where the deer have  browsed the 
forest floor clean and there are no ferns, no wildflowers just  the barberry 
that the deer won't touch and of course all of the garlic  mustard.   It 
seems to be an opportunistic invader  that easily takes over where man or beast 
has left bare ground and a viable seed  bank.  And of course the seed 
shoots ten to twenty feet when ripe thus the  rapid spread and take over.

Wondering if anyone else has noticed this phenomena  also?

Andrew Messinger
The Hampton Gardener is a  registered trade mark and is published every 
Thursday in The Southampton Press,  The Press and the Easthampton Press 

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