The "Belts and Suspenders" strategy of my least favorite weed

At the California Nursery Historical Park, our rose beds are awash with the "Devil Bulb". This crafty weed confounds us at every corner. Nothing seems to stop it. I call its strategy "Belts and Suspenders", because it profusely propagates by bulb and by seed. And it seems to grow year-round and to flower year-round and to make bulblets year-round.

This "Devil Bulb" has been in our garden for a very long time as you can see from the 1997 Mercury News article below. I asked 93+ year-old nurseryman, Bruce, if it was in the garden in his time and the answer was yes.

Is there any hope?

Stinkwort, Stinkweed, a stinky weed by any name

Stinkwort - not only does it smell very bad, but
it can cause dermititis and diarrhea.  

Stinkwort.

You can't avoid running into it where ever you go. In Fremont, I see it along side the road here and there, at the California Nursery Park, at Coyote Hills, at Ohlone College. You can identify it 65 miles per hour along the freeway. It's one of the only green plants at this time of year.

In August and September, in our hills in the Mission Peak Preserve, the sticky monkeyflower is burnt to a crisp, the California Fuchsias are still hanging in there, and we see various kinds of flowers in the Asteraceae family (what I used to call a "comp"..."daisy" flowers to others). It's nice to visit the native plants that are blooming at this late time of year.