Come and Get It!
I am tossing 3 garbage cans full of this stuff–Yellow Archangel or Aluminum Plant.
Seemed like a nice way to stop water erosion on the slope that I used to have in my side yard. But alas! This dude is as evasive as heck. If you would be hapy with nothing but this [no mowing–no planting and no weeding], I can stock several yards, but BEWARE!
It is listed as a Noxious Weed in this article:
Fast-growing perennial ground cover that may be either trailing or upright depending on conditions. Yellow archangel, also known as yellow Lamium, is very competitive and fast-growing in the forest habitats of western Washington and western British Columbia. When it is dumped with yard waste or escapes from intentional plantings, it spreads quickly into forested areas and out-competes native understory plants.
Yellow archangel is a non-regulated Class B noxious weed in King County. Control is recommended but not required. County Noxious Weed Boards in Washington State have the option to specify control areas for this plant but no areas have been designated in King County. Contact the Washington State Weed Board for more details on designation areas.
Prevention: Avoid planting near parks and natural areas or choose a different ground cover. If you already have this plant and would like to minimize its invasive nature, contain it in flower beds by regular trimming, or dig it up and replant into pots. Because yellow archangel spreads readily by stem cuttings, it is very important to discard plant material in such a way as to prevent spreading. Never dump clippings in parks or natural areas. Don’t dispose of plants in backyard compost piles (okay to put into city provided “Clean Green” recycling bins since the yard waste is taken to a commercial composting operation).
Manual: Roots are not deep so plants can be hand-pulled or dug up. However, plants grow densely so hand-pulling is very labor-intensive and not very effective due the plant’s ability to sprout from small fragments of root or stem, as well as its tendency to grow into and among desirable vegetation. To fully remove, plants must be pulled up by the roots, being careful to remove all root and stem fragments. This is easiest to do fall through early spring. Sift through soil carefully to find all roots and stem fragments. Cutting alone will not control this plant. Dense infestations can be controlled by sheet-mulching although it is crucial to control any escaping plants and to regularly check for holes in the covering material.
Chemical: Herbicides can be effective on yellow archangel, especially if combined with manual control and monitoring for surviving plants. Take care to avoid native vegetation by selectively spot-spraying. Choose a formulation that is appropriate for the site: either aquatic or terrestrial. Follow the label exactly as written and only use at the rate that is prescribed on the label. Treatment with triclopyr or glyphosate (or a mix of the two for better results) plus a surfactant appears to be somewhat effective although re-treatment is necessary. The herbicides work best when the plants are actively growing and are not wilted from drought-stress. Even small amounts of surviving plants will quickly fill back in if you do not follow up and control the surviving plants.