Xref: news7 uk.rec.gardening:134250

In article ,
Warwick Dumas wrote:

Did anyone else notice when this ng was officially brought under the aegis
of the Helpfulness Police? I think I must have missed it. :-(

That's when you need them to help you.

It happens that the natural habitat of grape hyacinths has been largely
destroyed and if gardeners don't look after them, we one day might not have
them. The point of view that they should not ever be destroyed by the
bucketload is perfectly tenable, and there is no reason for anyone to feel
shy of expressing it. There's if anything even less reason to worry about
questioning someone else's taste, imho.

They are not exactly endangered in UK gardens! It is nonsense to say
that they need protection here - the only way that they will be
reduced much in the UK is if our garden ecologies change, and
removing them from a few gardens doesn't count as that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Who the hell do you think you are

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Essjay001 wrote:
: Roberto scribbled:
:
:: Why would you want to stop them, I think they are my favourite bulb,
:: they can spread as much as they like here.
:
: They may be your favourite bulb but Micheal does not want them in such
: profusion. Do try to be helpful.
::
:: Robert from the English Riviera
:: http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com
::
:: Michael wrote:
::: Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I cannot
::: get rid of them by seperating them from the soil as it is lumpy
::: clay. Systemic weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are speading
::: and growing lots of new bulbs. Can anyone please tell me how I can
::: destroy them.

Why don't you boil your head

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Essjay001 wrote:
: Kate Morgan scribbled:
:
::: They may be your favourite bulb but Micheal does not want them in
::: such profusion. Do try to be helpful.
::::
:: O.K. if Michael does not like them, he should dig the beggers up,
:: unles of course you know something more helpful.
:: kate
:
: Did you read his post?

Why are you such a prat?

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Essjay001 wrote:
: hayley scribbled:
:
:: "Michael" wrote in message
:: ...
::: Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I cannot
::: get rid of them by seperating them from the soil as it is lumpy
::: clay. Systemic weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are speading
::: and growing lots of new bulbs. Can anyone please tell me how I can
::: destroy them.
::
:: why? don't you like them?
:: Hayley
:
: Thats not very helpful!

It's alright Nick ne's just getting back at that other dick head who seems
to be making an idiot of himself. By the way do you like them lol !?

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Nick Maclaren wrote:
: In article ,
: Warwick Dumas wrote:
::
:: Did anyone else notice when this ng was officially brought under the
:: aegis of the Helpfulness Police? I think I must have missed it. :-(
:
: That's when you need them to help you.
:
:: It happens that the natural habitat of grape hyacinths has been
:: largely destroyed and if gardeners don't look after them, we one day
:: might not have them. The point of view that they should not ever be
:: destroyed by the bucketload is perfectly tenable, and there is no
:: reason for anyone to feel shy of expressing it. There's if anything
:: even less reason to worry about questioning someone else's taste,
:: imho.
:
: They are not exactly endangered in UK gardens! It is nonsense to say
: that they need protection here - the only way that they will be
: reduced much in the UK is if our garden ecologies change, and
: removing them from a few gardens doesn't count as that.
:
:
: Regards,
: Nick Maclaren.

A.Malhotra wrote:

swroot wrote:

Michael wrote:

Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I cannot
get rid of them by seperating them from the soil as it is lumpy clay.
Systemic weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are speading and
growing lots of new bulbs. Can anyone please tell me how I can destroy
them.

I had that problem once. They make good compost: show them no mercy!

Yes, they're a gorgeous blue. But if they like your garden, what starts
as a scattering of gorgeous blue flowers in spring becomes a solid mat
of bulbs and juicy green leaves smothering everything else in the garden
later in the year. To add insult to injury, nothing eats them, not
slugs, not snails, not mice, *nothing*!


Why not just cut the leaves off. Don't they die backlater in the year
anyway?

After they've smothered everything, yes. Cutting the leaves off defeats
the purpose of having the bulbs, as if they don't feed they won't flower
the next year.

regards
sarah

--
"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view,
is silence about truth." Aldous Huxley

Nick Maclaren wrote:

In article ,
Warwick Dumas wrote:

Did anyone else notice when this ng was officially brought under the aegis
of the Helpfulness Police? I think I must have missed it. :-(

That's when you need them to help you.

It happens that the natural habitat of grape hyacinths has been largely
destroyed and if gardeners don't look after them, we one day might not have
them. The point of view that they should not ever be destroyed by the
bucketload is perfectly tenable, and there is no reason for anyone to feel
shy of expressing it. There's if anything even less reason to worry about
questioning someone else's taste, imho.

They are not exactly endangered in UK gardens! It is nonsense to say
that they need protection here - the only way that they will be
reduced much in the UK is if our garden ecologies change, and
removing them from a few gardens doesn't count as that.

In point of fact an acquaintance was so horrified to hear that I was
composting them that I sent some to Scotland for her :-)
waves to Jill

They're allowed to remain ouside the garden in the hedgebottom beside
the pavement, provided they behave themselves.

regards
sarah




--
"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view,
is silence about truth." Aldous Huxley

On Wed, 09 Apr 2003 20:34:07 +0100, Michael wrote:

Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I cannot get rid
of them by seperating them from the soil as it is lumpy clay. Systemic
weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are speading and growing lots of new
bulbs. Can anyone please tell me how I can destroy them.

Well, you could dig some up and send them to me! I've got a nice big
garden with some bare patches that need filling, and I love grape
hyacinth, although I've never been in the position of being over-run by
them which must be frustrating. I don't think I've got any in this garden,
or if I have its only a couple of bulbs.

Sarah

In article , robert29
@btinternet.com says...

heckety snip

Why are you such a prat?

I'm afraid you've stumbled on soeone who I don't *quite* class as a
troll but only for the amusement factor. Following up all of his/her
posts with one liners isn't an endearing trait though.

I had a run in with him/her a couple of months ago with regard to some
maple seeds I'd picked up on the mountains in Japan.

It accused me of theft and riskig the plant population of the UK by
bringing in such a dangerous alien plant form and ransacked the entire
discussion before posting a triumphant piece of information from Defra
that they considered maple seeds to be of no risk at all and asking why
had I bothered arguing at all with my discussions and why hadn't *I*
gone to Defra and asked them myself.

I still haven't worked out how seeds dropped by trees in public places
turned into theft yet. Maybe I should be drafting in the local police to
get them geared up for the en-masse arrest of the school children guilty
of the theft of all those conkers every year.

On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 20:34:07 +0100, "Michael" wrote:

Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I cannot get rid
of them by seperating them from the soil as it is lumpy clay. Systemic
weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are speading and growing lots of new
bulbs. Can anyone please tell me how I can destroy them.

I've never known such a hoopla caused by a such small plant!

Anyway, for what it's worth I reckon that the greatest friend to
grape hyacinths in their imperative to survive is the garden fork.

I keep a large fork only to move large perennials and shrubs.
However, if I had a vegetable area, my practice may well turn out to
be different there.

If you would like a patch (or sward) of grape hyacinths and also
keep them under control, simply don't dig around the edges of their
patch and if you move any other plants from their patch, check to make
sure you're not to taking a load of little bulblets with them. They
are really easy to "head" before their seed ripens and they can
propagate that way. It's quite a pleasant task really . Bye bye, bye
bye.

Having said that I do realise that, if they have become more out of
control than is desired in a large garden with heavy clayey soil, it
is a little harder to dislodge them from any areas you don't want
them. In light soils, gently loosening the soil with a hand fork and
a giving them a tug removes the plant with ease - the foliage and bulb
don't part company as I expect they might in a heavy soil.

However if you want to rid an area of them, now is the time to do it
- whatever type of soil they are growing in.

Hussein

May you live an interesting life.

On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 20:34:07 +0100, "Michael"
wrote:

Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I
cannot get rid
of them by seperating them from the soil as it is lumpy clay.
Systemic
weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are speading and growing
lots of new
bulbs. Can anyone please tell me how I can destroy them.

Dig them up, dispose of them, dig them up, dispose of them, dig them
up, dispose of them..............ad infinitum

You'll win eventually :~)
Jenny

swroot wrote:

A.Malhotra wrote:

swroot wrote:

Michael wrote:

Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I cannot
get rid of them by seperating them from the soil as it is lumpy clay.
Systemic weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are speading and
growing lots of new bulbs. Can anyone please tell me how I can destroy
them.

I had that problem once. They make good compost: show them no mercy!

Yes, they're a gorgeous blue. But if they like your garden, what starts
as a scattering of gorgeous blue flowers in spring becomes a solid mat
of bulbs and juicy green leaves smothering everything else in the garden
later in the year. To add insult to injury, nothing eats them, not
slugs, not snails, not mice, *nothing*!


Why not just cut the leaves off. Don't they die backlater in the year
anyway?

After they've smothered everything, yes. Cutting the leaves off defeats
the purpose of having the bulbs, as if they don't feed they won't flower
the next year.


If you kept cutting them off year after year would it kill them? Just that
the original poster was looking for ways of getting rif of them without
digging them up?
Anita

I'll pass thank you.



Roberto scribbled:

Why don't you boil your head

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Essjay001 wrote:
Kate Morgan scribbled:

They may be your favourite bulb but Micheal does not want them in
such profusion. Do try to be helpful.

O.K. if Michael does not like them, he should dig the beggers up,
unles of course you know something more helpful.
kate

Did you read his post?

Just me.

Roberto scribbled:

Who the hell do you think you are

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Essjay001 wrote:
Roberto scribbled:

Why would you want to stop them, I think they are my favourite bulb,
they can spread as much as they like here.

They may be your favourite bulb but Micheal does not want them in
such profusion. Do try to be helpful.

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Michael wrote:
Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I
cannot get rid of them by seperating them from the soil as it is
lumpy clay. Systemic weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are
speading and growing lots of new bulbs. Can anyone please tell me
how I can destroy them.

I wasnt aware that I was.

Roberto scribbled:

Why are you such a prat?

Robert from the English Riviera
http://www.nochex.com/payme.asap?ema...btinternet.com

Essjay001 wrote:
hayley scribbled:

"Michael" wrote in message
...
Help! I am being overrun by hundreds of grape hyacinths. I
cannot get rid of them by seperating them from the soil as it is
lumpy clay. Systemic weedkiller didn't do much to them. They are
speading and growing lots of new bulbs. Can anyone please tell me
how I can destroy them.

why? don't you like them?
Hayley

Thats not very helpful!