Plant Profile: Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'

Botanical Name: Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'

Common Name:  bishop’s weed, gout weed

Plant Type: perennial

Zone: 4-8

Growth Rate: average

Light Requirements: full shade, part shade

Special Attributes: invasive, ground cover

Height x Spread: 12” x 12” (indefinite spread at a moderate rate)

Bloom Time: May-June
Bloom Description: tiny white flowers
Foliage Description: light green and white ovate leaves
Soil: average, well drained
Water: regular (water well in summer)
Tidy: shear to remove unsightly leaves and promote new growth
Fertilizer: none
Diseases: Leaf Blight in hot and humid summer climates

Notes: Easy to grow in dry to medium well-drained soil in part sun or shade. Foliage will often scorch in hot, dry, full sun conditions. Spreads by underground stems (rhizomes) and can be aggressive.

Identifying Poisonous Plants

It goes without saying that it’s a good idea to know if your plants are poisonous to humans or animals. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find one database or resource that gives a complete list of all the poisonous plants in the United States. Here are few sites that you can visit if you’re trying to determine if your plants are toxic:

Cornell University’s Plants Poisonous to Livestock Database
US Army Guide to Poisonous and Toxic Plants
Texas A&M University’s Poisonous Plants Publication

With the Christmas season approaching, it’s a good time to remind ourselves that some of the plants we use to decorate our homes can be harmful to pets. Mistletoe and Holly are two that can be moderately to severely toxic. I always thought that Poinsettia was poisonous, but according the Cornell site it’s not very toxic at all. Still, it’s a good idea to keep it out of the reach of pets and children.