Worth the Risk?
Bishop’s weed—as you might guess by the name—is a plant gardeners love to hate (after all, they named it a weed). When introduced in the eastern United States as an ornamental plant, people loved its ease of growth and vigor. It helped that the plant had attractive foliage. Because it is extremely easy to share as a simple division or clipping from the garden, it became a common pass-along plant and quickly made its way into ornamental gardens. Eventually, people realized the mistake: Once planted, it can be nearly impossible to eradicate. The vigorous growth habit, coupled with its quick regeneration and copious seed production, make this plant a beast to control. For these reasons, it is important to think long and hard before planting bishop’s weed. Even then, it should only be planted in confined areas like between a sidewalk and a house where it has solid physical boundaries.
Bishop’s Weed Care Must-Knows
As the name implies, bishop’s weed is an extremely easy plant to grow, even in harsh conditions. Ideally, it likes consistently moist, well-drained soil, although it can take some drought. During long dry spells, the foliage, especially of variegated species, tends to crisp and burn. For the best-looking foliage, plant it in part sun. This ensures that the plants get enough light to have nice variegation but also protects their sensitive leaves from burning. The plant’s vigorous nature means it grows fine in full shade or even full sun. If your plants begin to look a little ragged, mow them back to encourage a new flush of growth. It’s also a good idea to remove any seed heads after blooming to control spreading. Other than leaf blight in the heat and drought of the summer, these plants are fairly untouched by pests and disease.
Eradication
Generally speaking, gardeners end up more concerned about removing the plant, which is much easier said than done. You must dig up the underground rhizomes without leaving even the smallest piece behind. Manual removal of the plants is tedious and may need to be repeated until all of the plants are removed. They also are tough enough to survive several applications of harsh herbicides. The best method of eradication is solarization: Cut back the plants and cover the bed with black plastic for a whole growing season to block out any sunlight and to raise the temperature of the soil.
