MidtownToronto. Front lawn, west-facing, full afternoon sun. In the grass and garden bed. Nearby an oak tree.
Weed emerged three years ago and I wasn’t able to fully dig out its very deep, strong root, so it comes back, more each year. I haven’t seen it elsewhere in the neighbourhood. I’ve only seen it grow ~4-8″ before I remove it. It surfaces in spots ~ 2 to 4 feet apart from each other. I could send a second photo showing the root part exposed.
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners about your weed.
The plant in your photo is broadleaf helleborine, Epipactis helleborine. It is a member of the orchid family. It is a non-native plant from Europe that is considered invasive in Ontario. According to the Orchid Society of the Royal Botanical Gardens the appearance of these plants is strongly correlated with more open habitat and the amount of rainfall the previous August and September.
The roots are deep and, as you know, if you dig out the weed and some roots remain in the soil, the plant reappears.
In terms of removal, you can try to dig out the entire plant. Michigan State University, says that the best time to dig up Helleborine lilies is when they start to flower, the idea being they have expended much energy to create flowers, and their roots and rhizomes (underground stems) are at their weakest.
Since it is difficult to get all the roots, given how deep the roots and rhizomes are in the ground, the alternative is to keep cutting the plant down to the ground until it finally depletes all the starch (sources of energy) in the rhizomes.
The helleborine plant material that you remove should be disposed in the regular waste, not yard waste.
Good luck with removal of this invasive plant.
May 29, 2024