Several years ago, I noticed a new, grassy weed growing among a patch of Stokes asters that I had transplanted from a friend’s garden. After a little research, I discovered that my new tenant was Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimenium). Very soon, the little pest had migrated to other beds, and my attempts to eradicate it began.
I haven’t been entirely successful in my endeavors, but I have managed to keep the stiltgrass in check. Sadly, that is not the case everywhere in Gloucester County. I see broad swaths of the stuff growing along the edges of woods, infiltrating lawns and fields, and even sprouting up through patches of moss in shaded spots.
I wrote a “Gardening Corner” column about Japanese stiltgrass in 2019, but I think it is time to revisit the topic and ask all of you to keep a watchful eye on the spread of this invasive, exotic weed.
Japanese stiltgrass was accidentally introduced in Tennessee in 1919 as dried packing material in a shipment of porcelain from China. Stil...