Garlic mustard is an invasive species native to Europe, and first brought to the US in the 1800s for medicinal purposes. Garlic mustard is an early season biennial herb that forms a rosette in the first year, and a seed head in the second year, growing up to four feet tall. It gets its name from a strong garlic odor when the plant is crushed. Garlic mustard has toothed alternate leaves and small, white clusters of four-petaled flowers that form at the top of its stem. Garlic mustard is one of the first herbaceous plants to emerge in the spring, and blooms May through June. Garlic mustard reproduces by producing a large number of seeds. It has spread throughout Minnesota and is prevalent in woodland habitats.
Control methods for Garlic Mustard:
- Garlic mustard can be easily hand-pulled when the ground is moist.
- Removal should focus on plants that have not yet flowered.
- Pulled plants that have already flowered should be bagged to prevent spread.
More about Garlic Mustard in Minnesota.