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Help with invasive plant required please

Last post 29-06-2009 7:22 PM by bigsusan55. 5 replies.

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  • 31/05/2009 03:37 PM
    • John Roberts
    • Nottinghamshire
    • 27 May 2009
    • 2
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     Hello to everyone from a Newbie :-)

     I have an invasive plant that has crept under the fence from next doors garden. There is a mass of roots, with 'bulbs' as well, and these roots are now at least 8 feet into my garden, under everything - the rockery, pond, around other plants etc. I have decimated the border adjacent to the fence and pulled out as many roots and bulbs as I can (6 buckets worth) to leave a completely clear border. One week later the entire border has new shoots sprutting from the roots I couldn't get out.

     I don't know what this plant is, it doesn't flower, it's just a dull looking green plant with leaves. I need to take some action to eradicate this plant from my garden. Any help would be appreciated. I've attached some pictures (hopefully) but apologies in advance of they are too large or don't show up as I am new here.

     In anticipation - John

    Roots

    This stuff is everywhere!

    One week later and new shoots appear :-(

  • 01/06/2009 11:58 AM
    In reply to
    • miranda
    • Oxfordshire
    • 17 Nov 2004
    • 2,977
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    The leafy stuff looks like ground elder and I think the bulbs may be Crocosmia. The crocosmia isn't so bad, though it can be invasive, but the ground elder will take some getting rid of if it's getting as established as it seems to be. Have a look at this page of advice: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0505/groundelder.asp

    Good luck with it, hope you get rid of it!

  • 01/06/2009 11:59 AM
    In reply to
    • miranda
    • Oxfordshire
    • 17 Nov 2004
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    Oh yeah, and you should get your neighbour to deal with the stuff in their garden as well, or it will just keep coming back under the fence.

  • 01/06/2009 01:41 PM
    In reply to
    • John Roberts
    • Nottinghamshire
    • 27 May 2009
    • 2
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    One day later, double the growth

    Thanks for the help with identification and link for the eradication advice. I'll pop round next door and let them know what they've got in their garden as I'm certain they won't know. Looked in the border again today to find double the number of shoots and the previous ones double in height than yesterday!

     

    Thanks again Big Smile

     
  • 26/06/2009 02:25 PM
    In reply to
    • Alix
    • Bristol
    • 19 Dec 2008
    • 47
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    I agree about ground elder and crocosmia. Crocosmia is actually a fairly attractive garden plant with long leaves and either orange or red flowers in late summer. It grows from corms (a bit like bulbs) which reproduce like mad and if you could get money for them I'd be minted by now! Best grown in a restricted area, ie, on with walls around it! Dig up as many corms as you can. Ground elder is a proper pain, it has roots all joined together which come back from the tiniest piece, like bindweed, so that whenever you dig it out it comes back because its impossible to get all the little bits. If left it will produce flowers like elder flowers, but dont let it because it will seed itself then aswell. I'd dig it up as much as possible and cover the area with membrane or hessian carpet for at least a year, making sure it goes up the fence a little way. Spray if you want but you will have to do it several times I should think, and then it will still come back from next door. Good luck with the neighbours! I hope they are amenable as in my experience they dont always care, which is why the problem is there. You must respect the fact that your garden stops at the fence and you have no right whatsoever to tell people what to do in their garden.

  • 29/06/2009 07:22 PM
    In reply to
    • bigsusan55
    • North-West London
    • 14 May 2009
    • 144
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     If the neighbours are not bothered about getting rid of the ground elder then you could try some sort of barrier to slow down the invasion.  Paving slabs inserted vertically might work?  Or a strip of pond liner all along the fence, going down about 18"?  Or both?  Hard work, but possibly less than having to keep weeding the stuff out in the coming years.

    To clear your area, spray with a glyphosate based weedkiller, eg Tumbleweed.  Wait until the offending plants are grown up a bit more before spraying, as glyphosate is absorbed through the leaves.  It is inactivated on contact with the soil, so it doesn't stop you planting once you are hopeful that you have killed it.

    I managed to clear bindweed from a new plot, with just two applications of glyphosate.  My neighbour had put in a stick for it to grow up ... "Look at this nice climber I've found"  Stick out tongue  Duh!

    Susan B