Both cilantro and parsley sometimes overwinter here in S NY and I doubt a gardener who has grown both would ever confuse the two. Also, their seed survives winter. and cilantro quickly goes to seed- those seeds sometimes grow in late summer and become plants that survive winter, but some don’t think their leaves are as tasty as those from younger plants by the time the next season comes. When the sprout early enough they are a fall blessing.
I don’t have to ever plant cilantro seeds, even when we have too much cold and too little snow for the plants to survive winter- the seeds will reliably sprout out in early spring while parsley does not reliably go to seed before cold kills it and it also isn’t as competitive even when it sprouts from seed from the previous year. I don’t think the plants themselves usually survive winter here, but they may have one year a while back.
I have a similar experience with parsley and cilantro here in southern Michigan. Parsley will actually survive the winter and seed itself. Cilantro doesn’t survive the winter but seeds itself and sprouts early. In the photos you can see how parsley is going strong after a zone 5/6 winter, cilantro just starting to sprout with tarragon, sage, and thyme in the background.
Exactly what happens in my yard. Every spring, millions little parsley seeds sprout and grow like weeds. Overwintered parsleys start send out flower stalk.
What cultivar is that, or did you just plant it from the grocery store ginger? I was not sure whether ginger would survive the winter here in Seattle, but if it is for you then it should for me, too.
I would love to have a ginger jungle in one corner of my yard.
If you like parsley then you’d almost certainly love Oenanthe javanica (aka “water celery”). Despite its English name it tastes very similar to parsley, but is a true perennial and will not need replanting each year like the biennial parsley. I grow a clone called ‘Flamingo’ which has white-pink variegation. It looks good, but more importantly the color makes it easy to find and harvest in the garden with confidence so if you have any of the other similar looking carrot family plants around which are NOT edible you won’t get them mixed up by accident.
It’s far less invasive than apple trees, but I do contain it in the garden as it spreads vegetatively (I haven’t seen any seed set on it so far). It’s easy if you just grow it in a large planter or submerged tub. It loves moisture, so can also be contained by planting it where the surrounding area will be too dry for spread.
Interestingly even though it is listed as invasive in New Hampshire iNaturalist doesn’t even have any sightings for it documented there (doesn’t mean it isn’t present, just indicates it is probably not commonly found). I suspect the state may just be listing it as invasive out of abundant caution. Even in Wisconsin where it is also listed as invasive, the iNaturalist sightings are only a total of eight in four different spots (meaning the same population was probably documented more than once).
Can ginger be grown in the ground and in Zone 6 here in Missouri where the lows are -10F and the highs are 100F? I love the stuff but assumed it would die over the winter so I never tried it out.
I agree it is an aggressive grower, but I prefer to reserve the term “invasive” for plants that move themselves into new locations without human assistance.
I’m pretty cautious about deploying the “I” word myself. It’s quite a loaded term, and takes no account of the accidental ecologies created nearly everywhere. Did you ever notice that all of these problem plants cluster together in the same environments, or that the more different places resemble one another in the “built environment”, the more they harbor the same suite of species? It doesn’t mean these aren’t real problems in many respects, but the lack of intention in land use and pace of modern transportation are among the many unacknowledged factors at play.
That said, there is special consideration due when it comes to aquatic plants. Water is just such an effective mover of seeds and plant material, and the course of watersheds means such plants can cover 10’s of miles in a single bound, perhaps more.
I’ve not heard of water celery being listed in NH. I DO know that another seemingly unlikely plant has proven to be quite problematic in a number of our lakes and rivers- water chestnut, i.e. water caltrop. If you limit plantings of water celery to areas where it’s potential spread is contained, there shouldn’t be an issue. But if you plant it somewhere near flowing water along a watershed, it seems to be asking for trouble.
I certainly didn’t mean to discourage anyone outside those three states from growing it, it was more to let people in those states know that they might be violating state law if they bring it into the state. I don’t know each state’s enforcement mechanism and whether they even attach any kind of enforcement to their invasive species laws in those states, but figured it was best to point it out just in case.
