We have this plant on our small farm 2 miles south of Villard, Minnesota in northeastern Pope County. It grows mainly at the edges of the woodlot. This URL shows a photo I made: http://www.flickr.com/photos/podehorn/3618404700/sizes/o/

The plant was in full bloom along the walk in access to the Ceder River. There is a lot of it!

I see lots of dame's rocket in the spring along the walkway on Radio Drive, between Lake Road and Cobblestone/Ashford Road.

We have a lot of these plants in our back yard where we planted a lot of wild flowers (on our mound-septic system). Do we need to remove them?

Joyce, I'd get rid of them if it were my yard. Dame's rocket is quite invasive

I have this in my yard and wasn't sure what it was. Thanks for the information. As pretty as it is, I now know I should get rid of it!

We have this growing where a large area was dug up for a new septic system. We weren't sure what it was but now that we know, we will work on getting rid of it as it has spready quite a bit since last year when we first moved in. Great to have good internet sources to turn to for questions.

There is a small patch of this plant on the edge of the grove of an abandoned farm site next to a cultivated field in the northesast corner of Traverse County. It has bloomed there for several years and has not spread at all.

I was directed to your website after trying to ID three waist-high flowering plants in an area we are trying to return to "oak savanna." (We have a rather steep hillside that was never plowed.) I'm trying to pull out this and mother wort, as well as keep rooting out burdock, buckthorn, and another new problem bindweed. Good news is that some of our prairie plants are taking hold. I don't know how we got dames rocket, mother wort, and bindweed, unless they might have come free with straw we used to cover oats to hold the hillside after clearing woody plants a few years ago. Thanks for your help.

A very fragrant spring flower; seen frequently in Cottonwood County, especially in ditches or at the edges of groves. Since it is a bi-annual, eradication is theoretically simple: don't let the plants go to seed.

5 or 6 stands along US61 across from Lake Winona.

I noticed it this year in my wild flower bed. It is along the road ditches on Co. Rd. H. People are calling it Phlox. The four petals to the flower and leaf structure puzzled me. Your site with pictures is the only site that made it proof positive. It certainly can't be in the same class as burdock,and buckthorn. What is it's problem? It is beautiful, smells good has no thorns.

David, beauty isn't a factor where it comes to the invasive character of a species. Many invasive plants were brought here for their aesthetic qualities.

I LOVE it when the Hesperus blooms here! Blooms in the shade or part sun all through the woods and roadside. If it comes up where I don't want it, it's easily pulled out. Our soil is extremely sandy/rocky here, though.

Sharon, the problem is it won't stay confined to your own property. Seed travels by wind, water and critters and you cannot stop that.

We are in the area hit by the severe storms last July. We lost 50 substantial trees on our 1-acre parcel on Gull Lake. About a week ago, the part of our property that was always left as "wild" erupted in hundreds of Dame's Rocket. Interspersed whites, plus light and dark purples that we have never seen before. Is it possible that this has been growing for many years but because it was in total shade previously it never bloomed? My mom may have planted some 15 - 20 years ago, but has since died so I cannot ask her. Only two of our neighbors have this and they only have very small clumps (4’ diameter areas).

Sharon, there may have been a long-standing seed bank just waiting for such a disturbance to provide enough sun and oxygen to the soil to allow germination. You have your work cut out for you to be rid of it. :-(

Just for the record, I have no intention of getting rid of it. It is in a contained area on about 1/4 acre bordered by our stone driveway and the road. It is magical and 3/4 of the homes that live on our 60 home peninsula have commented how breathtaking it is. I have removed clover, dandelions, thistle and garlic mustard in the same area but will keep this. But with all we lost last year this is a great addition.

Sharon, you may wish to believe it is contained, but it is not. Seed travels across roads by wind, water and critters. It will move. You should consider planting a native seed mix that will benefit native insects and wildlife, and make up for the habitat that was lost to invasive species. A monoculture of pretty flowers that only benefits humans isn't much to be proud of.

keep seeing this more and more in my neighborhood. Plateau and Pillsbury - Woodland Ridge neighborhood. should I yank it out when I see it?

I would yank it before it consumes any more of the neighborhood.

I have always wondered what this plant was. They are soooo beautiful. I sent for seeds and will keep mine forever. Now if you want a plant that will totally take over, do not plant phlox or goats beard. Oh my lord, I have pulled and cut back so many of these and they just keep coming back. They are beautiful, but ohhhh. Also the wood rose, it is a morning glory and Hawaii has banned them forever!

Nobody ever said dames rocket isn't pretty but that's not really the point. If you spend any time down in Fillmore and Houston counties you'll see just how pretty it is, because it's absolutely everywhere. Worse than garlic mustard :-(

Picked mine up in a ditch near an abandoned cemetery 20 years ago. Has self seeded in garden since. I thin it in the spring, pull them out when done flowering. They act like biannual. You can never get them all which does not make me mad. I have mix of white and shades of purples. Smell is totally intoxicating in the evening, better even than my heirloom nicotiana 4 footers that follow. They can make a tremendous amount of seed if you let it but with a little work this is a rewarding plant. Bullet proof to wind, rain, drought, deer, rabbits, grasshoppers. Fills the void between spring bulbs and your annuals kicking in. Do I pull mine, absolutely but only to thin for my other plants. Never with hope of eradication.

New to Winona, and dames rocket has provided quite long-lasting spring color. My wife loves it. Will pull, shred and compost it now as it's mostly done flowering. It's definitely not worse than garlic mustard here. I've pulled 30 bushels of garlic mustard already (and canned 12 pints of pesto), but I'm still finding about 30,000 stems per sq yard. The woods up hill are a monoculture of G-M in the understory. My site is a S facing hillside, but quite moist as sub-irrigated from the bluff above. Now that I know Hesperis is invasive, I will try to control it.

Saw it today blooming, start pulling!

There is no reason to purposely let this spread, when you could have native phlox instead, which looks nearly the same.

Visiting Flandrau State Park today and it is over run with Dames Rocket, it’s everywhere!

Found flowering on the edge of the wood next to the house. Noticed on June 9, 2019.

An aggressive self seeder in our open woods, relatively easy to uproot but being so prolific can take a few years to get rid of. Flower color ranges from white to pink to purple. Around here they are short lived perennials (living maybe three or four years). Like garlic mustard they are not eaten by the deer, which favors their multiplication around here because the deer have eliminated many of the native plants.

I have it in my back yard. Like the flowers, but will look at removing it. When do the seeds mature and start to spread?

Teri, the pods are produced continually as the flowering part of the stem elongates, seeds maturing on the lower part while new flowers open on the upper part. This plant is spreading like wildfire in SE MN. Please don't encourage it.

I would agree with M. Chayka, dame's rocket is invasive and there are so many other beautiful native options. The birds also carry the seed and plant them in areas unseen to homeowners. Dame's rocket can take over areas and prevent natives from getting enough sun or moisture to thrive. Native plant diversity is so important considering we have caused so much damage to our native habitats with housing developments, herbicides, ag runoff, and extensive turf grass. I think they are pretty also, but pulled mine 15 years ago once I knew they were an invasive in MN and replaced them with natives.

Mine came from a packet of mixed " wildflower " seeds I bought years ago. Will now work on ripping them out!

I see this isn't shown for southern Mille Lacs County. There are in fact ample quantities here, and it's spreading.

Dan, the best way to see the distribution maps updated is to submit a specimen to the Bell Herbarium, then it becomes part of the official record. The second best way is to make a report on EDDMapS, which is sometimes referenced for weeds but not consistently.

Seeing quite a huge patch of this growing by the Uptown West Apartments.

I have found it down near the lake on our property, in a semi-shady area along some trees.

I've seen it all over my county. It's Delicious! Does it get sprayed often? I brought the seeds over to my property to plant (Not eat) because I was afraid they were sprayed. Now you tell me it's Invasive. Oh well, I don't think it will ever become invasive on my land since I eat so much of it.

John, you are deceiving yourself if you believe dames rocket does not spread elsewhere from your land. You cannot eat enough of it to prevent that from happening.

It makes me think, with how beautiful Dame's Rocket Flowers are, why aren't more people harvesting the flowers for ornamental gifts. If everyone over harvested Dame's Rocket Flowers, it wouldn't be invasive no more right? Or do people think it's Native & leave it alone?

John, it is unrealistic to think people collecting flowers for ornamental purposes would put much of a dent in populations. Ditto herbalists or foragers harvesting for other uses. Even if every plant is removed from an area, it will still continue to propagate for years until the seed bank is depleted.

Native pollinators that I saw feed on Dame's Rocket today: Two Swallowtail butterflies and a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, an Achemon sphinx moth and a Nessus sphinx moth and multiple fat Black and Gold bumblebees. I just visited my friend in Afton MN, she has extensive gardens and allows some Dame's Rocket to grow in marginal areas. Some non-native plants, like Dame's Rocket, support complex ecosystems. Please re-consider the call to "Eradicate".

Jessica, there are many non-native species that can draw pollinators, but more often than not it's due to lack of more desirable plants on which to feed. Also consider that drawing native pollinators to non-native species means fewer pollinators visiting native plants, leading to reduced seed production and natural propagation. Perhaps you have not seen how extensively dames rocket has spread into natural areas, where it diminishes native biodiversity and negatively affects the complex ecosystems you speak of. The call to eradicate should be shouted from the rooftops.

I saw much of it growing under a bunch of oaks near a pond at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, MN.

Dames Rocket are growing in a ditch on the east side of Saukview Drive between Ridgewood Rd.(CR 134) and Rivers Edge Drive

I saw several tall, blooming, Dame's Rockets this evening that were obviously intentionally planted (signs of digging, fresh dirt, and watering) at the edge of a woods. Whoever planted them probably thinks they're on the road right of way and doesn't know these plants are a problem. :(

I just identified Dames Rocket in My yard along the fence edge on Park Point