Day 229: Let's get one thing straight right here at the onset. I don't give a flying ding-dong how useful Comfrey is as a medicinal herb. The fact is, Symphytum officinale is a mettlesome and persistent invasive, and the property next door to mine is full of it. I have been fighting its spread into my yard for over thirty years, but because the owner of the land does nothing to control it, it continues to spring up on my side of the fence. Unfortunately, the county does not mandate treatment of it. From a distance, it could be mistaken for our native "bluebell" Mertensia paniculata, but closer examination of or contact with the stems will quickly demonstrate otherwise. The fine, stiff hairs (inset) are very prickly and irritating to the skin as anyone who has tried to pull it will attest. It has a long taproot which must be dug out entirely to prevent the plant from coming back. I can only hope to keep my yard free of it. As for its likely incursion into adjacent properties, the other neighbour and the county are on their own.
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