Washington State resident gets notice there’s a noxious weed in her garden. She says it’s an herb

An immigrant from Russia, she grows herbs such as peas, lettuce, tomatoes, beets, sunflowers, coriander, basil, fennel and dill in her garden. She reportedly received a noxious weed notice from Pierce County Noxious Weed Control regarding a common fennel epidemic in the southwest corner of sidewalk planting beds.

The county considers dill to be a noxious weed because it forms a dense invasion, defeats native plants and reduces the habitat of native wildlife.

Washington law states that landowners need to control and prevent the spread of noxious weeds from their property.

She said that if she did not remove the plant, Pierce County Weed Control would remove it and charge her.

 Fennels (Umbelliferae) and Dill (Umbelliferae, Anethum) are the same herbs of the Umbelliferae family and look very similar. In addition, fennel and dill will cross if planted nearby. Fennel is a perennial, but dill is an annual. The plant height of fennel is as large as 1.5 to 2 m, but the dill is as small as 30 to 50 cm.

Like fennel, dill has a sweet scent and is used in fish dishes, salads and marinades.

Dill & Fennel