Bleeding hearts is over running portions of my garden. When I try to
dig up the roots i always end of splicing the roots. And wow do the
roots of that plant spread out....

Considering I have lots of ground cover that I'm trying to preserve if I
dig up Bleeding hearts' rootball but end up leaving a portion of it in
the ground, whats the likihood of it growing back? The trowels just
slice thru the roots.

Other than digging up the root of the plant, is there another way to get
rid of selective bleeding hearts without damaging the other
plants/ground cover? Something with a syringe?

Looking for all manner of advice

zone 5b Ontario Canada

The Henchman wrote:
Bleeding hearts is over running portions of my garden. When I try to
dig up the roots i always end of splicing the roots. And wow do the
roots of that plant spread out....

Considering I have lots of ground cover that I'm trying to preserve if I
dig up Bleeding hearts' rootball but end up leaving a portion of it in
the ground, whats the likihood of it growing back? The trowels just
slice thru the roots.

Other than digging up the root of the plant, is there another way to get
rid of selective bleeding hearts without damaging the other
plants/ground cover? Something with a syringe?

Looking for all manner of advice

trim it back close to the ground, put
weed barrier fabric over it and mulch it
well. at the seams fold and staple the
fabric to the ground so the roots and
shoots can't come back through (you might
still get a few strays anyways, but by
folding at least it makes it a bit of a
challenge...).

if you want the ground cover to grow back
in then you can put the fabric down over the
cut back bleeding hearts and put some new
topsoil over that and then chop plugs of your
ground cover and plant them around to fill in.
i'd still mulch it some to keep the weeds
easier to pull.

at the extent you want the bleeding heart
to grow put an impermiable edge/collar down
into the soil around it.


songbird

On 6/9/2012 1:51 PM, songbird wrote:
The Henchman wrote:


if you want the ground cover to grow back
in then you can put the fabric down over the
cut back bleeding hearts and put some new
topsoil over that and then chop plugs of your
ground cover and plant them around to fill in.
i'd still mulch it some to keep the weeds
easier to pull.

at the extent you want the bleeding heart
to grow put an impermiable edge/collar down
into the soil around it.


songbird

Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep trying the digging up roots method
but I may use your method next spring when damage to the other ground
cover won't be as extensive.

Thanks again!