Bluebells
 

We moved into a new house not so long ago and are just discovering what's
going to pop up in our new weed-filled, slightly overgrown garden. We have
bluebells - hundreds of them and they are taking over the whole garden,
appearing in every possible corner and working themselves across the grass!
As much as they look very pretty I don't want them all over the garden.
I have searched for other posts about these invasive plants, but can't seem
to find any original threads.

Is there a way of keeping them at bay? We have a huge amount of work
(clearing) to do in this garden and I fear that all the digging up will just
spread them further.

Jo

Bluebells
 

In message , Jo
writes
We moved into a new house not so long ago and are just discovering what's
going to pop up in our new weed-filled, slightly overgrown garden. We have
bluebells - hundreds of them and they are taking over the whole garden,
appearing in every possible corner and working themselves across the grass!
As much as they look very pretty I don't want them all over the garden.
I have searched for other posts about these invasive plants, but can't seem
to find any original threads.

Is there a way of keeping them at bay? We have a huge amount of work
(clearing) to do in this garden and I fear that all the digging up will just
spread them further.

I would expect that mowing would weaken and eventually eliminate them
from lawns.

Otherwise you can reduce the numbers by separating the bulbs from the
soil when digging (and selling them on Ebay?), and then control them by
weeding them out where they're not wanted when they appear in subsequent
years.

[I put a few in the allotment "temporarily" when I was cleaning up a bed
in the garden. I have found that they produce plenty of seedlings in
that environment.]
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Bluebells
 

Jo wrote:
We moved into a new house not so long ago and are just discovering
what's going to pop up in our new weed-filled, slightly overgrown
garden. We have bluebells - hundreds of them and they are taking
over the whole garden, appearing in every possible corner and working
themselves across the grass! As much as they look very pretty I don't
want them all over the garden. I have searched for other posts about these
invasive plants, but
can't seem to find any original threads.

Is there a way of keeping them at bay? We have a huge amount of work
(clearing) to do in this garden and I fear that all the digging up
will just spread them further.


I don't know about the lawn, but I've inherited lots of them and found you
can just pull out the ones you don't want. Now they're down to manageable
numbers and a rather pretty accent to my bumbling attempts to produce an
attractive garden. They're easy to dig out with a trowel. There were
zillions initially. And poppies. I could've knocked Afghanistan out of the
heroin market with my initial poppy farm.

I also found out on this ng that something I thought might be a weed was
aquilegia, and now I wish I hadn't pulled as many of them up as I did.

I'd also be happy to give anybody as much creeping buttercup as they'd like.


Ian

I'd be hesitant about selling them on ebay. There's been a lot of trouble in recent years of unscrupulous people digging up large quantities of bluebells from native bluebell woods for sale to outlets who are not fussy about their sources. Making your own bluebells available for free (eg Freegle) helps to reduce that market, selling them has the opposite effect.

Taking off the leaves wherever you see them means that they are not going to be able to build up their bulb, and each year that they produce leaves only to have you whip them all off is going to weaken the bulb - as Stewart says, eventually they should give up.

Bluebells
 

Ian B wrote:
I'd also be happy to give anybody as much creeping buttercup as they'd like.

Arrrrgh!
(I have a strawberry patch that is very yellow and buttery-coloured atm!)

Bluebells
 

Bluebells
 

On Mon, 10 May 2010 08:22:19 +0100, "Jo" wrote:

We moved into a new house not so long ago and are just discovering what's
going to pop up in our new weed-filled, slightly overgrown garden. We have
bluebells - hundreds of them and they are taking over the whole garden,
appearing in every possible corner and working themselves across the grass!
As much as they look very pretty I don't want them all over the garden.
I have searched for other posts about these invasive plants, but can't seem
to find any original threads.

Is there a way of keeping them at bay? We have a huge amount of work
(clearing) to do in this garden and I fear that all the digging up will just
spread them further.

Jo


If you clear space they will move in.
--
http://www.Voucherfreebies.co.uk
http://www.holidayunder100.co.uk

Bluebells
 

Sacha wrote:
I'd also be happy to give anybody as much creeping buttercup as they'd like.

Arrrrgh!
(I have a strawberry patch that is very yellow and buttery-coloured atm!)

Grow butter. ;-)

Buttered strawberries?
(hmm, sounding a bit like my new colour scheme for the living room!)

Bluebells
 

Ian B wrote:
(I have a strawberry patch that is very yellow and buttery-coloured
atm!)

It's amazing how every time you think you've got it all out... give it a
couple of days and there's some more, isn't it? I swear, it must contain the
long sought secret of eternal life.

It's the way that they hide and pretend to be strawberry plants that annoys
me. :-(
(I can tell the difference if I get close to them, or once they start
opening up properly, but the young plants are quite similar until you try
to pull them out!)

Bluebells
 

Sacha wrote:
On 2010-05-10 10:28:32 +0100, "Ian B"
said:

Jo wrote:
We moved into a new house not so long ago and are just discovering
what's going to pop up in our new weed-filled, slightly overgrown
garden. We have bluebells - hundreds of them and they are taking
over the whole garden, appearing in every possible corner and
working themselves across the grass! As much as they look very
pretty I don't want them all over the garden. I have searched for
other posts about these invasive plants, but
can't seem to find any original threads.

Is there a way of keeping them at bay? We have a huge amount of
work (clearing) to do in this garden and I fear that all the
digging up will just spread them further.


I don't know about the lawn, but I've inherited lots of them and
found you can just pull out the ones you don't want. Now they're
down to manageable numbers and a rather pretty accent to my bumbling
attempts to produce an attractive garden. They're easy to dig out
with a trowel. There were zillions initially. And poppies. I
could've knocked Afghanistan out of the heroin market with my
initial poppy farm. I also found out on this ng that something I thought
might be a weed
was aquilegia, and now I wish I hadn't pulled as many of them up as
I did. I'd also be happy to give anybody as much creeping buttercup as
they'd like. Ian

If anyone is getting rid of genuine English bluebells (as opposed to
the Spanish invaders) I think they could well find willing hands to
take them, including perhaps local owners of woodland, or even
e-bayers.

I've just inspected mine, and they all appear to be foreign. :(


Ian

Bluebells
 

On Mon, 10 May 2010 08:45:54 +0100, Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote:


Otherwise you can reduce the numbers by separating the bulbs from the
soil when digging (and selling them on Ebay?), and then control them by
weeding them out where they're not wanted when they appear in subsequent
years.

Oh please don't sell them on Ebay if they are Spanish bluebells!

Pam in Bristol

Bluebells
 

Janet Baraclough wrote:
I'd also be happy to give anybody as much creeping buttercup as
they'd like.
Don't part with it! CB is superb compost-heap material (and it won't
survive the process).
Ditto, nettles, thistles, rosebaywillow herb,bracken and fern.

Interesting. We have a separate compost heap for weeds, and I would always
put the buttercups on the weeds. Along with nettles (which I know I can
compost as long as they're not in seed, but I tend not to) and an awful lot
of twitch and dandelions!

Bluebells
 

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...


Ian B wrote:
I'd also be happy to give anybody as much creeping buttercup as
they'd like.

Don't part with it! CB is superb compost-heap material (and it won't
survive the process).
Ditto, nettles, thistles, rosebaywillow herb,bracken and fern.

Janet



Do NOT throw your bluebell bulbs on the compost heap. I was digging up
'active' Bluebell Bulbs as I was turning a heap yesterday and they were well
over 2 feet down and 'heading up'

Mike




--

....................................
Today, is the tomorrow, you were worrying about, yesterday.
....................................

Bluebells
 

"kay" wrote in message
...

Stewart Robert Hinsley;886817 Wrote:


I would expect that mowing would weaken and eventually eliminate them
from lawns.

Otherwise you can reduce the numbers by separating the bulbs from the
soil when digging (and selling them on Ebay?), and then control them by

weeding them out where they're not wanted when they appear in subsequent

years.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

I'd be hesitant about selling them on ebay. There's been a lot of
trouble in recent years of unscrupulous people digging up large
quantities of bluebells from native bluebell woods for sale to outlets
who are not fussy about their sources. Making your own bluebells
available for free (eg Freegle) helps to reduce that market, selling
them has the opposite effect.

Taking off the leaves wherever you see them means that they are not
going to be able to build up their bulb, and each year that they produce
leaves only to have you whip them all off is going to weaken the bulb -
as Stewart says, eventually they should give up.

I suspect they are of the Spanish sort.
In which case dig them up and burn them.

Bluebells
 

Jo wrote:
We moved into a new house not so long ago and are just discovering what's
going to pop up in our new weed-filled, slightly overgrown garden. We have
bluebells - hundreds of them and they are taking over the whole garden,
appearing in every possible corner and working themselves across the grass!
As much as they look very pretty I don't want them all over the garden.
I have searched for other posts about these invasive plants, but can't seem
to find any original threads.

Is there a way of keeping them at bay? We have a huge amount of work
(clearing) to do in this garden and I fear that all the digging up will just
spread them further.

They won't spread by digging them up - they seed nicely though, and the
bulbs will divide, think - though I might be wrong about that.

The bulbs often grow from quite a depth, though.

Now if they're native bluebells, there are dozens of people on this
nesgroup who would love to tae the bulbs from you.

If they are Spanish, then no-one's going to cry if you paint the leaves
with glyphosate,

Native bluebells are slightly smaller, have thinner stems, and the
flowers all hang predominately from one side of the stem.

--
Rusty