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

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

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.

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

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

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!)

wrote:
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!)

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.


Ian

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!)

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!)

wrote:

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

Run awaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!

--
Rusty

Rusty Hinge wrote:
Buttered strawberries?
(hmm, sounding a bit like my new colour scheme for the living room!)
Run awaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!

It's very nice, really! (It's not quite buttered strawberries, it's
primrose and raspberry, but that doesn't sound quite so tasty :-)

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!

"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.
....................................

Ian B wrote:

/prune/

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.

Never mind, you only need one plant, and they seed muh more efficiently
than bluebells.

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

Ooooh yes please! Just dump them on my compost heap...

--
Rusty

Rusty Hinge wrote:
Ian B wrote:

/prune/

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.

Never mind, you only need one plant, and they seed muh more
efficiently than bluebells.

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

Ooooh yes please! Just dump them on my compost heap...

Haha, sorry, they all go on mine


Ian