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#1
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Celandines!
Any tips on getting rid of celandines? (Lesser, Ficaria verna, thank
you Wikipedia) There's nothing nicer than seeing the first celandines giving a splash of bright yellow here and there in early Spring, _in the right place_. However for the last 2-3 years in our garden they have become so proliferous that they are a real pest: right now, the sad, flat, heavy winter-worn soil is *carpeted* with celandine plants, in every part of the garden. I've (even) thought of weedkiller, but that would hit all the incipient plants that have temporarily been thrust aside by the celandines. I've also thought of just leaving them, because they disappear without trace [above soil] as Spring gets under way. But I'm concerned that these uncouth little bruisers might be denaturing the soil, in their profusion. Any words of advice, or sympathy, welcomed. Cheers John (Tynedale, Northumberland) |
#2
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Celandines!
On 26/02/2021 17:16, Another John wrote:
Any tips on getting rid of celandines? (Lesser, Ficaria verna, thank you Wikipedia) There's nothing nicer than seeing the first celandines giving a splash of bright yellow here and there in early Spring, _in the right place_. However for the last 2-3 years in our garden they have become so proliferous that they are a real pest: right now, the sad, flat, heavy winter-worn soil is *carpeted* with celandine plants, in every part of the garden. I've (even) thought of weedkiller, but that would hit all the incipient plants that have temporarily been thrust aside by the celandines. Not if you use glyphosate That ONLY hits stuff that has green leaf on it. Anything dormant will not be affected -- "The great thing about Glasgow is that if there's a nuclear attack it'll look exactly the same afterwards." Billy Connolly |
#3
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Celandines!
In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote: Any tips on getting rid of celandines? (Lesser, Ficaria verna, thank you Wikipedia) .... I've also thought of just leaving them, because they disappear without trace [above soil] as Spring gets under way. But I'm concerned that these uncouth little bruisers might be denaturing the soil, in their profusion. .... Like you said, just leave them and enjoy them, and they do disappear quite quickly. I used to worry about them, but now I just leave them. They won't 'denature the soil', whatever you mean by that. Yeah sorry, I just threw in the first word that came into my head. What I mean is that the soil is now livening up - as the temperatures rise, the sun comes out, the animal life starts to move through it, the damp drains away ... but a celandine is more soggy bulb than aerated root, so thousands of them (and their leaves covering the surface), might hamper that natural rejuvenation. But yeah: your endorsement is very attractive Chris :-) John |
#4
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Celandines!
In message
, Another John writes There's nothing nicer than seeing the first celandines giving a splash of bright yellow here and there in early Spring, _in the right place_. Thank you! I have them in my garden, and didn't know what they were until Googling celandines. Plenty flowering well, now that the recent snow has finally gone, and always the first flowers of spring, at least in my garden. Snowdrops are out nearby, and croci on the cusp of flowering. (Aberdeenshire) -- Graeme |
#5
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Celandines!
On 26/02/2021 17:16, Another John wrote:
Any tips on getting rid of celandines? (Lesser, Ficaria verna, thank you Wikipedia) There's nothing nicer than seeing the first celandines giving a splash of bright yellow here and there in early Spring, _in the right place_. However for the last 2-3 years in our garden they have become so proliferous that they are a real pest: right now, the sad, flat, heavy winter-worn soil is *carpeted* with celandine plants, in every part of the garden. I've (even) thought of weedkiller, but that would hit all the incipient plants that have temporarily been thrust aside by the celandines. I've also thought of just leaving them, because they disappear without trace [above soil] as Spring gets under way. But I'm concerned that these uncouth little bruisers might be denaturing the soil, in their profusion. Any words of advice, or sympathy, welcomed. Cheers John (Tynedale, Northumberland) Had to smile, they are the bane of our lives here, my wife declares war and weeds them out after wet weather at this time of year as the tubers stay attached however I am then required to get rid of them by burning! I prefer to use a small hand sprayer and glysophate. But those that escape the onslaught do look nice. I think the main problem is that when I see them in the local woodlands they are cute little plants, here they are massive easily making a foot in height and they do tend to outcompete all other small plants -- Charlie Pridham Gardening in Cornwall www.roselandhouse.co.uk |
#6
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Celandines!
In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote: Had to smile, they are the bane of our lives here, my wife declares war and weeds them out after wet weather at this time of year as the tubers stay attached however I am then required to get rid of them by burning! I prefer to use a small hand sprayer and glysophate. But those that escape the onslaught do look nice. I think the main problem is that when I see them in the local woodlands they are cute little plants, here they are massive easily making a foot in height and they do tend to outcompete all other small plants Here, they rarely get above 6" and are usually less, but Cambridge has a different climate. They are easy enough to reduce by hand digging, but almost impossible to eliminate. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#7
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Celandines!
On 26/02/2021 17:16, Another John wrote:
Any tips on getting rid of celandines? (Lesser, Ficaria verna, thank you Wikipedia) There's nothing nicer than seeing the first celandines giving a splash of bright yellow here and there in early Spring, _in the right place_. However for the last 2-3 years in our garden they have become so proliferous that they are a real pest: right now, the sad, flat, heavy winter-worn soil is *carpeted* with celandine plants, in every part of the garden. They like clay. Good news is if they grow well for you then so will snowdrops, bluebells and aconites. I've (even) thought of weedkiller, but that would hit all the incipient plants that have temporarily been thrust aside by the celandines. I have never known them be a problem. I allow some to survive as wild flowers in my grassy bank and they are easily controlled by mowing. They get a free run right to grow now since the daffodils are out. Bittercress and stickyjack are the annual weeds that most easily runs away this time of year. Nettles and brambles close behind. I've also thought of just leaving them, because they disappear without trace [above soil] as Spring gets under way. But I'm concerned that these uncouth little bruisers might be denaturing the soil, in their profusion. They don't grow all that vigorously and have shallow roots. Nettle and ground elder are both massively more invasive as is Lily of the Valley. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
#8
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Celandines!
On 28/02/2021 10:20, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 28 Feb 2021 10:18:28 +0000, Chris Hogg wrote: On Sun, 28 Feb 2021 09:38:35 +0000, Martin Brown wrote: Nettle and ground elder are both massively more invasive as is Lily of the Valley. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Invasive? In my garden? I wish! I love it, but it struggles to stay alive with me, on heavy loam. That's not come out right! I was referring to LotV, not nettles or GE! I'm sure you can have them if you want. :-) Lily of the Valley is a strange plant that either loves you or hates you. If the latter, there's nothing you can do to get them established. If the former, you'll have lots of plants to give to friends! I grow 'Vic Pawlowski's Gold' in a 80 x 80 x30cm container, and it slowly spreads. Every 2 - 3 years I can dig out a dozen or so plants to pot up and pass on. -- Jeff |
#9
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Celandines!
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote: On 26/02/2021 17:16, Another John wrote: Any tips on getting rid of celandines? (Lesser, Ficaria verna, thank you Wikipedia) There's nothing nicer than seeing the first celandines giving a splash of bright yellow here and there in early Spring, _in the right place_. However for the last 2-3 years in our garden they have become so proliferous that they are a real pest: right now, the sad, flat, heavy winter-worn soil is *carpeted* with celandine plants, in every part of the garden. They like clay. Good news is if they grow well for you then so will snowdrops, bluebells and aconites. I've (even) thought of weedkiller, but that would hit all the incipient plants that have temporarily been thrust aside by the celandines. I have never known them be a problem. I allow some to survive as wild flowers in my grassy bank and they are easily controlled by mowing. They get a free run right to grow now since the daffodils are out. Bittercress and stickyjack are the annual weeds that most easily runs away this time of year. Nettles and brambles close behind. I've also thought of just leaving them, because they disappear without trace [above soil] as Spring gets under way. But I'm concerned that these uncouth little bruisers might be denaturing the soil, in their profusion. They don't grow all that vigorously and have shallow roots. Nettle and ground elder are both massively more invasive as is Lily of the Valley. OP here - thanks Martin, and thanks again to the previous posters: We're going to leave them be. And we'll be looking with extra vigilance for the creepers (nettles etc that you mention), which did indeed get away from us last year, due to insufficient vigilance in these days of Spring. John |
#10
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Celandines!
On 28/02/2021 21:35, Another John wrote:
And we'll be looking with extra vigilance for the creepers (nettles etc that you mention), which did indeed get away from us last year, due to insufficient vigilance in these days of Spring. Nettles die on mowing, so one method of control is to take scissors or shears and simply keep cutting them down to ground level. It is less injurious than pulling the root system up, though that works as well. I wish I could get lily of the valley to be a weed. It dies on me -- "And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch". Gospel of St. Mathew 15:14 |
#11
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Celandines!
On 28/02/2021 10:20, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 28 Feb 2021 10:18:28 +0000, Chris Hogg wrote: On Sun, 28 Feb 2021 09:38:35 +0000, Martin Brown wrote: Nettle and ground elder are both massively more invasive as is Lily of the Valley. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Invasive? In my garden? I wish! I love it, but it struggles to stay alive with me, on heavy loam. That's not come out right! I was referring to LotV, not nettles or GE! I confess to being confused. But the only reason I can think of that you are not having it survive is that the ground dries out completely in midsummer. I have a variegated form that is less of a brute and it still grows pretty well in partial shade damp conditions but isn't invasive. It is one of those plants that either likes your conditions and thrives or doesn't. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
#12
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Celandines!
On 01/03/2021 08:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 28/02/2021 21:35, Another John wrote: Â* And we'll be looking with extra vigilance for the creepers (nettles etc that you mention), which did indeed get away from us last year, due to insufficient vigilance in these days of Spring. Nettles die on mowing, so one method of control is to take scissors or shears and simply keep cutting them down to ground level. It is less injurious than pulling the root system up, though that works as well. More satisfying though. It is one of those jobs I have broken a fork doing - snapped off two of the tines. Nettle roots are surprisingly strong. I prefer a hit of glyphosate first when clearing rough ground. It makes any small bits of ground elder you miss less likely to regrow. I leave some nettles for the butterflies on the wild edges of my garden. I wish I could get lily of the valley to be a weed. It dies on me Find somewhere damp and in moderate shade and try again. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
#13
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Celandines!
On 03/03/2021 09:24, Martin Brown wrote:
On 01/03/2021 08:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote: On 28/02/2021 21:35, Another John wrote: Â* And we'll be looking with extra vigilance for the creepers (nettles etc that you mention), which did indeed get away from us last year, due to insufficient vigilance in these days of Spring. Nettles die on mowing, so one method of control is to take scissors or shears and simply keep cutting them down to ground level. It is less injurious than pulling the root system up, though that works as well. More satisfying though. It is one of those jobs I have broken a fork doing - snapped off two of the tines. Nettle roots are surprisingly strong. I prefer a hit of glyphosate first when clearing rough ground. It makes any small bits of ground elder you miss less likely to regrow. I leave some nettles for the butterflies on the wild edges of my garden. I wish I could get lily of the valley to be a weed. It dies on me Find somewhere damp and in moderate shade and try again. You know, I think I will. Tried in very dry hot part of garden but have plenty of damp shady parts Will it go native and spread itself OK? -- "Corbyn talks about equality, justice, opportunity, health care, peace, community, compassion, investment, security, housing...." "What kind of person is not interested in those things?" "Jeremy Corbyn?" |
#14
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Celandines!
In article ,
The Natural Philosopher wrote: On 03/03/2021 09:24, Martin Brown wrote: I wish I could get lily of the valley to be a weed. It dies on me Find somewhere damp and in moderate shade and try again. You know, I think I will. Tried in very dry hot part of garden but have plenty of damp shady parts Will it go native and spread itself OK? If it likes the conditions, it will run its roots under paving, into lawns, into established shrubs and herbaceous plants, and make a thorough nuisance of itself. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#15
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Celandines!
On 03/03/2021 12:03, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , The Natural Philosopher wrote: On 03/03/2021 09:24, Martin Brown wrote: I wish I could get lily of the valley to be a weed. It dies on me Find somewhere damp and in moderate shade and try again. You know, I think I will. Tried in very dry hot part of garden but have plenty of damp shady parts Will it go native and spread itself OK? If it likes the conditions, it will run its roots under paving, into lawns, into established shrubs and herbaceous plants, and make a thorough nuisance of itself. So no different from my cowslips... Regards, Nick Maclaren. -- When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it. Frédéric Bastiat |