I don't know if scalping is effective against Star of Bethlehem or not (it isn't a weed I have any knowledge of). I would suggest googling on this weed for effective control measures as scalping, depending on your grass type, may do more harm to the turf than the weed. A healthy lawn will be an ally against any weed. Not a cure all, but an aid. I wouldn't do anything to jeapordize or delay it's health and vigor while trying to control a weed as it will usually prove counter productive. I am including a link to a site on control of this weed. The bad news is that it appears chemical controls may be the only viable option other than hand removal which can be a very time consuming effort if the weed is widespread (and it sounds as if it is). Even if you are willing to resort to chemical controls, there aren't many that have tested as providing effective control of this weed. There are a couple listed in the link, but I am not familiar with them, their short and long term toxic effects or any other environmental/safety concerns. The link is for information only, I am not advocating the use of any control measure in the link. If you choose to use them please read the label instructions carefully and head them closely. Consider using a surfactant such as soap to increase the effectiveness and thus (hopefully) reduce the amount you have to use. http://ipm.missouri.edu/ipcm/archives/v14n5/ipmltr1.htm If any organic only adherants have an organic rememdy to suggest, now is the time to do it. I don't know of any organic controls that would work, but I certainly don't know everything, or anywhere close to it.

Wild onions/garlic will establish themselves most anywhere. In loose cultivated and nutrient rich soil they can get rather huge compared to the kinds you see in the common lawn...bigger than the green onions with bulbs you see at the grocery store. Wild onion is present pretty much everywhere in large dispersal areas...from Florida to Alaska and all points in between (but not Hawaii). Wild garlic is found pretty much everywhere but not as much in the arid areas in the US. The problem isn't soil stewardship as much as it is anyone who has an un-mowed or wild strip of land with flowering onions on them...especially if a bird has pecked them up after dispersal from the plant and pooped them onto your land. Unless your neighbor goes a very long time between mowings that let wild onion/garlic flower and set seed (this takes quite a long time) then your problem is probably coming from further away than him and your issue is probably birds/animals. As far as removal...it's a pain. You really do need to get down in there and remove as much of the bulb as possible manually by digging them out. There's some that will suggest natural herbicides or other types of treatments, but we're talking about some really tough bulbs here. This post was edited by nc-crn on Mon, Apr 7, 14 at 6:45

Thanks, CaraRose! i've been having fun looking these up and learning how to harvest and cook 'em! Seems that they are definitely a Topsetting/Walking/ Egyptian/ Tree onion.

When it comes to feral/naturalized examples of the cultivated varieties, onions will always have round hollow leaves, while garlic and leeks have flat leaves with a crease down the center (sort of like a "V" in cross section). Garlic and perennial leeks (including elephant garlic) can be confusing. The best way is to look at the mature bulbs in the summer. Leeks will usually have little offsets ("corms") around the base of the bulb that are on thin stalks and separate easily. Garlic will not. When it comes to variously named wild species of garlic/leeks/onions, that's a whole other question. Some pictures might help.