Bishop Weed - Snow on the Mountain
Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum'
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Bishop Weed - Snow on the Mountain
Details:
Plant Facts Mature Height | 10 - 15 inches | Mature Spread | 1 - 2 feet | Soil Type | Widely Adaptable | Moisture | Dry | Mature Form | Upright, Spreading | Growth Rate | Fast | Sun Exposure | Full Sun - Full Shade | Flower Color | White | Fall Color | Variegated | Foliage Color | Variegated | | 3-9 |
The Snow on the Mountain, 'Aegopodium podagraria Variegatum', also known as Bishop Weed, is one of the most popular groundcovers on the market today. With its variegated foliage, it is one of a kind. ‘Snow on the Mountain’ forms a quick, dense, weed-proof carpet that is easy to grow even in difficult conditions. It should be planted in full sun but will tolerate morning shade. To prevent from seeding, the white flower heads should be removed, this will also help keep it looking tidy. ‘Snow on the Mountain’ has a plant height of 10-15” and a plant spread of 1-2’. ‘Snow on the Mountain’ is great as a ground cover or used in mass plantings, and it is rabbit and deer resistant and extremely drought tolerant.
Reviews:
An unfairly maligned plant, 5/14/2008 11:51:56 AM
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Reviewer: annefromthemidwest
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There are some pretty harsh comments about this plant, which is understandable if someone doesn't do their research before putting plants in their garden and puts Snow on the Mountain in a flower bed expecting it to be a specimen plant. It's NOT a specimen plant, and should never be treated as such. It should also not be JUDGED as such by people who didn't know what they were getting into! All plants have recommended uses based on their water and light needs, their physical appearance, hardiness, tendency to spread, etc. It would be unfair to complain about a rosebush that you've spent a lot of time and money on but the bush dies quickly without ever producing any blooms if you've planted it in deep shade. It would be unfair to judge an oak tree as a plant that should be avoided because it destroyed your home's foundation and grew into the overhead powerlines. Rosebushes and oak trees are wonderful, worthwhile plants in the PROPER areas, with the gardener's understanding of the plant's needs and physical characteristics. The same can be said of Snow on the Mountain.
Snow on the Mountain can be a perfect plant for certain problem areas. In my case, I had two areas that were dark, and so needed a bit of a visual punch; the areas were somewhat secluded, and having moved into a new, gardenless home, I had to prioritize into which new beds (of the many beds I had to create on my very large piece of land) I was going to invest my money. The beds seen by the public and people coming to my front door or sitting in my back yard received the expensive, showy plants--but I couldn't afford to put those plants in the more secluded areas of my property, and I wanted those areas dressed up a bit. I needed an inexpensive, easy care ground cover that would spread quickly and grow dense enough to choke out the weeds, as new beds tend to be weed-prone and I had enough work to do already. Snow on the Mountain provided a perfect solution for me. Yes, it spreads, and it even creeps under the edging and into the lawn, but the mower keeps it effectively in check. This lovely little plant has a specific job to do, and it does it well, asking almost nothing of you in return. It sometimes gets a bad rap from people expecting it to do a job it's not fit for; people who expect it to grow slowly, stay contained, be easily eradicated if you decide you're tired of it, etc. That's quite unfair. I love my Snow on the Mountain.
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I remember the good old days, when dandelions and thistle were my worries..., 7/16/2009 6:59:21 PM
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Reviewer: albionlee
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Three years ago, I moved into a 'beautifully landscaped' home. Having not seen the yard in summer, it was a surprise to see what came up through the spring and summer. There was also this stuff. I admit, along the base of a cedar hedge, it's quite becoming, and makes a good, bushy 'frame' for the peonies. However, this stuff doesn't obviously doesn't stay put. I have a flower bed around the entire perimeter of the house, and it's full of bishops weed. Across the entire backyard...bishops weed. Out into my horse fields...bishops weed. The horses won't eat it, unfortunately. Nothing does. Even insects won't eat it. I've been mowing it for three years, and it's still there. I pull it up, dig it out, ferret out the roots, burn it, poison it, cover it with plastic and mulch, all the while, cursing the guy I bought the house from...just like the person who I sell it to after will curse me. If anybody thinks they can contain this stuff, good luck. Once you invite it in, it'll be there forever. It overwhelms just about anything it's planted with. My roses and lillies don't stand a chance if I let up for a minute. It marches quickly through woods, under decks, through cracks in the concrete and across sand and gravel. Covering with plastic and mulch doesn't work, I find the roots tapering they're way laterally through the mulch, as if it was the richest soil. If anybody wants to take the chance, have at it. But when I DO move, if I see the slightest hint of bishops weed or japanese knotweed at a prospective house, that's a deal killer right there. As far as Tulips and Daffodils, they are done blooming well before the weed comes up, but in just a few weeks, the weed has overwhelmed their foliage. Both flowers consistantly do well, but there's absolutely no way to try to remove the bishops weed without destroying my daffodil bed. The roots weave throughout endlessly.
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