| There is a wild mustard that looks a bit like violet leaves until it gets tall and has little white flowers at the top. It is a biennial and develops a deep tap root. Additionally, it developes cute little pods that look a bit like a tiny, long, thin string bean, which throw numerous seeds all over when they ripen and twist open. If you crush some of the leaves and smell it, it has a distinctive aroma which is unlike lamiastrum. I think the birds really like this stuff and seed it all over the place. You are, however, right to keep an eye on your Yellow Archangel (ie Lamiastrum). Some web entries confuse it with Herman's Pride, which is pointier looking and reasonably well behaved. My Yellow Archangel is spreading all over a dry, deep shade area in my backyard, and I am considering rescuing the few good plants (Solomon's Seal, a few ferns, ginger) and letting it do its darndest. I know it will not let the wild mustard back in, and I'm tired of fighting that noxious pest (even though I think I read somewhere it could be edible...?) I used good old Y.A. in some pots out front, and by the end of the season it had managed to establish itself in the areas next to both pots. It is presently duking it out with English Ivy in one spot, and I think it is winning. I had a scare earlier this season when I noticed some similarly-shaped leaves coming up yards away, but without white markings. I was relieved to discover that those leaves were seedlings of a scullcap plant I had planted last year. |