I think it depends. In my woods in NYz5, I had 5 acres of poison ivy to clean up. Most of the land was wooded but there was a cleared area where the power/phone lines ran to the house. In the woods, where the plants were relatively isolated, I pulled them by hand and bagged them. I patrolled deep into my neighbors' land because garlic mustard doesn't really notice property lines. In the cleared area, I tried RoundUp for probably three years running, but found that if I didn't get all the plants quite early in the season, they wouldn't die before they set seed. I switched to weed whacking and believe that, in the end, that would have been effective (I sold the house before I learned the answer). I also learned that seedlings don't respond especially well to RoundUp. You spray them, but they don't die. I did manage to eradicate several areas that were carpeted with GM seedlings with 2,4-D but it may be (since these appear all summer) that the better approach is to allow them to reach their second year and then weed whack. Finally, what I learned was that I had to get out there almost as soon as the snow melted. The plants mature very quickly very early in the season. Fortunately, they are whackable a couple of weeks before the desirable woodlanders (and the PI and mosquitoes) appear. Another thing I learned was that you may as well spend winter hacking down multiflora roses and shrub honeysuckle. Makes it easier to reach some of the garlic mustard later on....

"I like to believe that each person can decide for themselves whether or not a plant in a given situation is threatened to a point that it would be more beneficial to move it than to leave it where it stands, whether it is in a park or on a roadside or any public property. " A roadside is not punblic property. I think it would be of interest that in many cases when only a single individual of a plant species exists that plant is left as undisturbed as possible and is propegated instead of moved, because even then moving the plant is not more beneficial (indeed, probably worse) to leavin it. Those singular individual plants in question are not, however ignored. By looking at that example, NO plant is 'threatened to a point that it would be more beneficial to move it than to leave it where it stands' unless imminent destruction in the near future is likely due to human activites. Therefore in almost any surcumstances leaving the plants is definatly the better option, but some site care such as checking and removing all weeds in the vicinity of the plants is vastly better than moving them. Also, if you cant do that site maitence (for example, not on your land)your probably not supposed to be moving plants from there anyway. Unless you have premission of course, preferably permission to maintain the site. A roadside planting is most likely secure, and with the wildflowers and garlic mustard, perirodic weeding in the imidiate vicinity of the plant population may be all that is required for the long-term presistance of that population. It is interesting to note that in certain curcumstances (for example, native wild plants transplanted to a neatly kept garden) the population of transplanted plants are unlikely to survive in the long-term because they may not reproduce. While the individual transplanted plants may survive, the establishment and long-term presistance of a self-supporting population in in doubt, altough it can and does happen, it might just as easily not because of many subtle variables affecting the growing site means establishment of said transplanted plants might be in unlikely. Without long-term presistance of a self-supporting population, it, in my mind atleast, not a resce in the sence that these plants have been removed from a population that probably needs all the individuals it it can get, and presistance in the wild is far more important, ecologicly speaking, than presistance in cultivation. Note: the terms Establishment and self-supporting population does not just mean that the species sometimes reseeds itself, altough that is a important factor in the process. In the case of this garlic mustard weeding within the viicinity of the plants on a regular basis would probably ensure theri survival in the short term, altough their long-term survival may be in doubt because, lets face it, you wont be there forever to weed. WHat might work is if you suceed in reducing garlic mustards population density in the area.

As far as I know, Garlic Mustard spreads mainly by seeds dropping a relatively short distance from the plant that prodcued them. Occasionally seeds are carried on boots, by water, or similar means, but that is a relatively small amount of seeds. Large infestations come only from seeds growns very nearby. So, once you stop the plants in your woods from setting seeds, you will eventually stop having lots of plants to pull and finding something to out compete them won't be such a big concern. I don't think there is any woodland plant that can outcompete garlic mustard when there are millions of seeds in the ground waiting to sprout. Any healthy woodland floor plant community can temporarily compete with Garlic Mustard when only a few plants are present, but physical disturbance or the presence of tons of seed is too much for most communities and the Garlic Mustard takes over.

The one good thing about garlic mustard is that it's really easy to pull. Just grab the stem low down, and tug firmly but gently. No taproot, so I'll take it over dandelions any day, but it is a pain, in that it gets everywhere. The darn plant can hide itself under other plants, and the first thing you know of its presence is a bunch of white flowers in entirely the wrong place! Then down on your knees to figure out where the intruder is hiding... Claire - thanks for the recipe link. That gave me a smile. I'm definitely going to have to give it a try. Maybe if it's good, I'll start cultivating garlic mustard and set up a pesto farm. I'm sure the neighbors will be delighted!