How to Grow Bishop's Weed (Aegopodium Podagraria)

Bishop's weed is an herbaceous ground cover (it dies back in winter) that looks good in part shade or containers. Grow bishop's weed in USDA zones 7 and 8.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bypass Pruners
• Fertilizers
• Garden Hoses
• Mulch
• Plants
• Plants

1. Look for plants at nurseries in spring and summer.

2. Choose healthy-looking plants with signs of new growth in leaves and flower buds. Buy bishop's weed in 4-inch to 1-gallon containers.

3. Choose a site with part shade and well-drained soil.

4. Set plants no deeper than they were growing in the containers. Plant them 1 foot apart.

5. Mulch around but not on top of the plants with 3 inches of organic compost.

6. Water well until soil is completely moist.

7. Trim back the flower heads after bloom with scissors or bypass pruners.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose the variegated form (with some white on the green leaves) - it's prettier and grows less aggressively.
• Bishop's weed can try to take over a garden, so it's best to plant in an area bordered by sidewalk or steps or to put it in a pot.

[Freewheelin]

on 8/4/2008 Erita: I'm wondering the same thing. My Bishops weed is turning brown and dying. I like the way it looks, when its healthy.

[Erita]

on 7/19/2008 I am wondering if anyone knows why this plant turns brown in August - any suggestions would be helpful

on 8/8/2006 Do not ever plant bishop's weed. Future generations of owners of your land will curse you. I have been doing battle with it for over 20 years, and I am losing. You can dig it out and dig it out, but if you leave one tiny little piece of the root in the ground, the plant will come roaring back.

on 6/30/2006 I am just not a gardener. The front bed was always nasty and weedy, and I was forever fighting it ... until I transplanted Aegopodium.

This is my idea of a perfect bed. A lovely plant that gardens itself and chokes out ugly weeds. Bring it on!

on 6/30/2006 I have had this in my two front yard gardens for about 9 years now. It works very well with the peony bush I planted in the middle of the Bishop's weed. When they both come up together, it looks like a giant bouquet with the tiny flowers and beautiful leaves. One thing to be very aware of is it does tend to grow out. The area you plant it in should be a contained area. Before the flowers drop their heads and blow around, be sure to cut them off or you will have some plants growing where you don't want them. I have them in two areas of my yard, one is in full sun to partial shade (in the afternoon, and early morning) the other is under a pine tree for ground cover (it is in the shade all the time and still grows wonderfully).

The key is to be sure to contain the area you want the Bishop's weed to be in in, so it will stay there.