Cardamine hirsuta

Hairy Bittercress is one of those ever-present weeds that may escape notice until you learn it. But then once you know it, you'll see it just about everywhere.

Hairy Bittercress seeds germinate in cool, moist soil, like what we have now. Plants develop as basal rosettes, and flowers develop quickly on stems held high above the foliage. Long fruiting capsules mature rapidly and shoot their seeds up to 3 feet from the plant.

And the cycle repeats!

One control technique is to leave as little open space available for germination as possible. (Crowd out the undesirables with desirables.) Hand weeding, of course, will always be an option, and/or a pre-emergent like Preen Plus, applied early in the growing season.

Mid-season, you may find Hairy Bittercress flourishing in large enough numbers to render hand-pulling impractical. Should you then chose a glyphosate product such as Roundup, be careful to avoid damage to surrounding desirable plants by employing good spraying practices. Use low pressure with a coarse spray and a large nozzle. Keep your nozzle close to target weeds to avoid drift. And remember, you don't have to spray the whole weed to get results with glyphosate because it works systemically. Finally, always read, understand, and follow the entire product label before use.

Hairy Bittercress produces seed throughout the season. Some may want to apply a pre-emergent after cleaning a planting bed or gravel area, for instance, to help prevent new germination.

• It leafs out 2 weeks later than 'Bloodgood' (which is good especially if there is a late frost or cold, drying winds that can affect tender new growth)
• It holds its burgundy color well through the hot summer months.
• Has stunning bright-red fall color
• Its 10 year size is 15-18' high x 12-15' wide
• Has a nice upright structure with smooth bark
• Also known as 'Red Emperor'
• And is a fast grower for a Japanese Maple!

Like most Japanese Maples plant them in moist, well-drained soil as they do not like wet feet. Keep the mulch away from the bark. Plant in partial shade and protect from the strong afternoon sun. Zone 5-7