When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

On Jan 28, 3:47*pm, "Jo" wrote:
When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. *They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. *The area was cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in the
corner. *I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to one
area? *It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

Blue bells are an increasingly rare wild flower. You should welcome
them.

On 28/01/2011 18:31, harry wrote:
On Jan 28, 3:47 pm, wrote:
When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

Blue bells are an increasingly rare wild flower. You should welcome
them.

That's if they are our bluebells, and not the Spanish ones or a hybrid.

--

Jeff

harry wrote:
On Jan 28, 3:47 pm, "Jo" wrote:
When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

Blue bells are an increasingly rare wild flower. You should welcome
them.

And they won't mind if you plant things with them. I can't see the
problem, unless - well - I can't see the problem.

Tell you what, if you're not too far away I'll com and dig them up for
you - and plant them on my plot...

--
Rusty

"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
harry wrote:
On Jan 28, 3:47 pm, "Jo" wrote:
When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space
and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was
cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and
have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in
the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to
one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a
garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

Blue bells are an increasingly rare wild flower. You should welcome
them.

And they won't mind if you plant things with them. I can't see the
problem, unless - well - I can't see the problem.

Tell you what, if you're not too far away I'll com and dig them up for
you - and plant them on my plot...

--
Rusty

You'd be only too welcome!

Jo wrote:
"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...

Tell you what, if you're not too far away I'll come and dig them up for
you - and plant them on my plot...

You'd be only too welcome!

Where? (ish)

--
Rusty

"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
Jo wrote:
"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...

Tell you what, if you're not too far away I'll come and dig them up for
you - and plant them on my plot...

You'd be only too welcome!

Where? (ish)

--
Rusty

Leigh-on-Sea in Essex

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-28 15:47:16 +0000, "Jo" said:

When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space
and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was
cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and
have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in
the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to
one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

If they're English bluebells, dig them up and sell them.
--
Sacha

They are not likely to be, though, are they?

Tina

On Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:34:15 -0000, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-28 15:47:16 +0000, "Jo" said:

When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space
and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was
cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and
have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in
the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to
one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

If they're English bluebells, dig them up and sell them.
--
Sacha

They are not likely to be, though, are they?

Tina

On the face of it, they are more likely to be the dreaded Spanish
variety but, on the other hand, if soil was shifted around as part of
a redesign then the smallest of bulbils, not to mention seed, could
have been spread around the place. Have you noticed, by the way, how
some new editions of books seem to have given up the fight in the
battle between the native and invader and simply talk about the "most
common variety" ...?

But from the OP's perspective, if they are the Spanish type, if a
small clump is left then that clump will quickly expand. If that's the
case I would look to kill them off completely and then plant some
properly sourced native stock. Chop the leaves down to ground level -
that's *really* ground level, not half an inch above - quickly to
deprive the bulbs of food or, if there's a decent clump, dig it up as
soon as the leaves appear. I found, when killing an invading patch
from next door a few years ago, that it was better to pull the leaves
(which sometimes pulled the bulb as well) as they would break off
below soil level.

Jake

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:34:15 -0000, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-28 15:47:16 +0000, "Jo" said:

When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space
and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was
cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and
have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in
the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to
one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a
garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

If they're English bluebells, dig them up and sell them.
--
Sacha

They are not likely to be, though, are they?

Tina

On the face of it, they are more likely to be the dreaded Spanish
variety but, on the other hand, if soil was shifted around as part of
a redesign then the smallest of bulbils, not to mention seed, could
have been spread around the place. Have you noticed, by the way, how
some new editions of books seem to have given up the fight in the
battle between the native and invader and simply talk about the "most
common variety" ...?

But from the OP's perspective, if they are the Spanish type, if a
small clump is left then that clump will quickly expand. If that's the
case I would look to kill them off completely and then plant some
properly sourced native stock. Chop the leaves down to ground level -
that's *really* ground level, not half an inch above - quickly to
deprive the bulbs of food or, if there's a decent clump, dig it up as
soon as the leaves appear. I found, when killing an invading patch
from next door a few years ago, that it was better to pull the leaves
(which sometimes pulled the bulb as well) as they would break off
below soil level.

Jake

and don't chuck then in the compost heap :-((

They survive from up to 5/6 feet down :-((

Mike


--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-29 18:34:15 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-28 15:47:16 +0000, "Jo" said:

When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space
and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was
cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and
have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in
the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to
one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a
garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!

If they're English bluebells, dig them up and sell them.
--
Sacha

They are not likely to be, though, are they?

Tina

Why not? I'm puzzled.
--
Because most bluebells in gardens are of the Spanish variety - my garden is
infested with them.

I have this spinney at the bottom of my garden that I call my "wood" It's
only 30/40 metres but I've been planting it with native woodland plants for
many years and I cannot get "real " bluebells in there until I have no
Spanish that were planted by a previous occupant.

Christina Websell wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-29 18:34:15 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-28 15:47:16 +0000, "Jo" said:

When I moved house last year one corner of my new garden was awash with
bluebells. They looked very pretty but took up a huge amount of space
and
seemed to be marching up the garden as time went on. The area was
cleared
as part of a garden redesign but they have now reappeared in force and
have
spread all over the beds I cleared last year as well as reappearing in
the
corner. I had dug deep and removed as many of the bulbs as I could.
How else can I rid my garden of these plants or at least limit them to
one
area? It's a shame to have to remove them all, but I can't have a
garden
full of bluebells and nothing else!
If they're English bluebells, dig them up and sell them.
--
Sacha
They are not likely to be, though, are they?

Tina
Why not? I'm puzzled.
--
Because most bluebells in gardens are of the Spanish variety - my garden is
infested with them.

I have this spinney at the bottom of my garden that I call my "wood" It's
only 30/40 metres but I've been planting it with native woodland plants for
many years and I cannot get "real " bluebells in there until I have no
Spanish that were planted by a previous occupant.

Sorry to suggest it, but glyphosate...

And Sainsbury's may still have some boxes of non-scripta if you hurry -
oh, and snakeshead lilies (fritillaries)

--
Rusty

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-29 23:52:48 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2011-01-29 18:34:15 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:


"Sacha" wrote in message

Why not? I'm puzzled.
--
Because most bluebells in gardens are of the Spanish variety - my garden
is
infested with them.

I have this spinney at the bottom of my garden that I call my "wood"
It's
only 30/40 metres but I've been planting it with native woodland plants
for
many years and I cannot get "real " bluebells in there until I have no
Spanish that were planted by a previous occupant.

I see. We have both, which is why I asked. We hoick out the Spanish kind
and leave the English ones alone.

I hoick them out but cannot seem to get rid of them and until I do I won't
put the proper ones in.

secret my foreign friend insisted on digging up some bluebells in the wild
while I sat on a log telling her not to and how illegal it was and sweating
in case the bluebell police came..
She took them home, but they did not survive their winter. Dammit - it
would have been worth it if they had.
Tina

It is legal to dig up a few bluebells for personal usage, though you might be stealing if there is a private landowner. It is illegal to dig them up to sell commercially.

I have not successfully transplanted wild English bluebells into my garden, even though they grow in the wild nearby.

On Sun, 30 Jan 2011 10:19:31 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2011-01-30 00:45:45 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:
[...]

secret my foreign friend insisted on digging up some bluebells in the wild
while I sat on a log telling her not to and how illegal it was and sweating
in case the bluebell police came..
She took them home, but they did not survive their winter. Dammit - it
would have been worth it if they had.
Tina

It's extraordinary to me to think of bluebells as being tender but of
course, why not?! I hope our 'good' ones have survived our winter
here.

I wonder where the failed introduction took place. They're fully hardy
in our terms, and an American site even claims they withstand Zone 4
temps, in the minus thirties C. They do detest being out of the
ground, though, as the "bulbs" have no protective tunic: I wonder if
these ones were badly weakened by being out of the soil, or some other
factor didn't suit them.

English bluebells are a big responsibility: the Brit Isles have most
of the world population, and they are vulnerable to hybridisation.

--
Mike.