As often happens, this monster was imported from Asia in the late 1800s as ornamental shrubbery. It would probably make a great privacy fence. That being said, you really don’t want this stuff in your yard. It has spread from Maine to Minnesota and as far south as Louisiana. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says it is now in 41 states. It has been found in St. Louis and Lake county in northeastern Minnesota, and Ramsey , Washington and Sherburne in the east central are

The official definition of a weed is: a plant that is not valued where it is growing. That can include that nice ground cover that is now covering the sidewalk and is heading for the nearest interstate. That shrub rose that looks like it was hit by a bomb. The cilia (squill) that you planted in the grass and now cover all the available soil in the tulip garden each spring. In other words, it is not just dandelions and creeping Charlie. Summer annuals germinate in the spring,