Arum italicum

I have grown this beautiful Arum for a number of years and the clump slowly increases in size. It has these beautiful leaves all winter, flowers in the spring with a jack-in-the-pulpit type flower, and red berries follow the flower.It dies down in summer. I have been pleased with it from the very first.

Now I read that it is horribly invasive and almost impossible to get rid of. When it is dug up, invariably some small corm  is left behind or seeds germinate to rise again. I did move the clump once and was surprised when a new clump started where I dug the old one up, so I guess it is true that moving it just spreads it. I do know also that the seed germinate readily as I have planted them in a pot. It is also a fact that invasive plants frequently behave for years til one day they begin to spring up everywhere. Maybe they try to lull you to sleep with good behavior and then start galloping away when you are napping.

Reports from the internet indicate that people who have had it in their gardens 18-20 years will fight it the rest of their lives. It forms a thick mat that closes off the growth of other plants. It seems largely unresponsive to herbicide applications (Roundup). It is reported to be cause allergic reactions, particularly in handling seed.

So what should I do? I do not want to be remembered as the idiot who released a menace on the landscape (witness-Kudzu), but at the same time I do like this plant. Maybe I will move it to a pot and be vigilant about any that are left behind.

It is so beautiful and easy to grow, maybe sort of like a mink, till you try to pet it.