Removing a beautiful nuisance 🌿 Lily of the valley has to go
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 21 сен 2024
- Although it can be a lovely perennial in some places, in my garden lily of the valley is a thug.and I've been putting off dealing with it for years. But that all ends now as I do battle with this formidable opponent.
I'm also sharing some of my favorite quick planting tools.
--------- L I N K S -----------
Sneeboer Great Dixter Planting Spade:
bit.ly/GDPS-ga... OR bit.ly/GardenT...
Sneeboer Hand Spade:
bit.ly/handspa... OR bit.ly/handspa...
Sneeboer Perennial Spade:
bit.ly/perenni...
Sneeboer Hand Rake:
bit.ly/handrak... OR bit.ly/handrak...
Sneeboer border fork:
bit.ly/borderf... (Luxe handle) OR bit.ly/borderf... (special edition)
Sneeboer Garden Rake:
bit.ly/gardenr... (special edition) OR bit.ly/gardenr...
Pop-up cleanup bag (Hoselink): bit.ly/TIGhose...
Planting compost:
bit.ly/plantin...
Biochar Blend:
bit.ly/biochar...
--------- A B O U T -----------
My name is Erin and I love sharing inspiration and information with real-life gardeners. I live and garden in southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5b/6a.
If you liked this video give it a thumbs up and if you loved it, please subscribe and click the bell so you never miss a new video! Thank you for your support.
🌿Blog: www.theimpatie...
🌿Facebook: / impatientgardener
🌿Instagram: / impatientgardener
📩 erin@theimpatientgardener.com
Some affiliate links may appear. I may make a small commission if you purchase through these links. Thanks for your support. You can see all my favorite products on my Amazon storefront at www.amazon.com...
----------- FAVORITES -------------
🌿 My favorite potting soil (Organic Mechanics peat-free Container blend): bit.ly/contain...
🌿 My favorite soil amendment: bit.ly/biochar...
🌿 Hose reel (Hoselink): bit.ly/TIGhose...
🌿 Garden products I buy on repeat: liketk.it/3FIyl
Music in my videos from: bit.ly/39wBm5f
Mail to:
USPS: The Impatient Gardener
P.O. Box 99
Belgium, WI 53004
UPS/FedEx: The Impatient Gardener
125 E. Main St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
You are my favourite youtube channel host. No cutesy nonsense. Just good tips and information. I find that very entertaining. I live in zone 3-4 in Canada and Lily of the Valley is also totally invasive here.
Thanks, Bruce! I appreciate it.
Washington state here and it's a thug! Also, vinca has gone mad in my yard and garden! They're both beautiful and the vinca is deer proof (my deer never touch it, anyway) but it is insanely hard to eradicate. 😵💫😫
Agree, Bruce! Erin’s a treasure and wealth of information. 🌱
“I hope that was water” that made me laugh!
I started hardcore gardening in 2018 after my husband and I moved into our new country home. I had a huge amount of Lilly of the Vally that I pulled. I didn’t know what the heck it was at the time, but I yanked it all out. I knew it wasn’t a weed, but I simply didn’t like it 😂😂😂. Life is short. My plants have a three strike rule on performance or it needs to wow me these days to be in my garden.
Yes, we all have some kind of annoyance in our gardens. 30 years ago I took out lilly of the valley behind the garage - it took a long, long time but I haven't seen any in years - and hope to never see it again!! Great job, Erin.
Same here! And it’s a process. Dug it out back in 2006, had to remove some every year for some time then one would pop up every few years. Haven’t seen any for a number of years. Now if I could only get rid of the Bishops goutweed that is coming from both neighbors!
I’m in my late 70’s and still enjoy my gardens. I just love your videos Erin, they always entertain and have interesting content! In past years, when I have invasive plants like Lilly of the Valley or Pachysandra, I pick-ax a border. The border will determine the size of the area that will contain the invasive plant. I make sure that the border is deep enough to insert a piece of 6” wide coil stock sheet metal. The metal will usually be a 1/2” or less above the surface, depending on if the roots are surface creeping or deeper. I know this sounds like a lot of work, it does keep everything in its’ designated space. Thank you for sharing your gardens and your plant knowledge. ❤️Gail❤
Oh, this brings back memories! The home I grew up in had Lilly of the Valley in a front yard boarder, and I tried to eradicate it year after year with no luck! This was in the mid 1980's and I bet you it's STILL THERE! 😂
My husband loves Lily of the Valley. I controlled it by planting between the house foundation and cement sidewalk. This is about 20 inches. When the plants look terrible, I cut them back and cover with compost.
I kind of love this plan. The best of all worlds, it seems.
That is the best solution with it!
My Mom has this planted between her house and sidewalk too. It's very well behaved there and I enjoyed looking at it so much that I kindly took her up on her offer Lily of the Valley pips. Needless to say, at my house it was a THUG - past tense lol.
Oh man, I've been putting off removing a huge bunch of lily of the valley that's grown into a spot that's way too sunny and dry. It always looks so bad. This was the nudge I needed to finally get it done. Thank you, Erin!
My mom moved into a gated community and left me with her rusty old wheelbarrow full of Lily of the Valley she had at her old house. So far it's been behaving🤷🏼♀️. I love the scent and the look of them in the old wheelbarrow💚💛 👩🌾 Happy Gardening from Western Washington state
That's the true key here, it just needs to stay contained
Yes, I would grow this in containers, but take care to not let them seed other places.
You're gonna hate me! Twenty years ago I had a rather large area near the woods where nothing grew.
Planted lily of the valley with shrubs and has been spectacular ever since in all seasons and is particularly stunning in the winter.
Mine never browns out and stays green all year and stays in that area. Must be the soil - I love it! 😊
I like them too, couple years back I bought a pink one to go with the white ones I already have
I have/had lily of the valley growing amongst things I love and Roundup judiciously applied to individual leaves also kills the roots without harming my other plants. I start inspections at the beginning of Spring and use the foam setting as soon as i detect any stragglers. Also works for running liriope. English Ivy was introduced to Triclopyr Ester in Spring along with creeping Charlie. Neither appreciated the introduction. So sad too bad.
I have a patch of ostrich ferns surrounded by lily-of-the-valley. The ostrich ferns are winning. They are actually choking out the convallaria. Now, digging out the ostrich ferns is another no-fun task.
It always amazes me how they can pop up 20 feet away from the next closest one!
Wow Erin you are looking great! You look like you have lost weight and a few years.
Stop commenting on women’s appearance.
I WAS you this past spring 😅. Calling lotv ‘beautiful’ is waaaay more than generous. Clearing them when the soil is dry in spring or fall is probably easiest and then it is important to be vigilant. I found that while digging up this pest I was talking out loud to it with headphones on. My neighbours found this very amusing as my language got rather racy. Thank you for presenting this issue. Loved it!😂
I got rid of lily of the valley over 30 years on the north side of my house. When I was much younger. I kept the purple irises that were with them and they are still there. I added hosta and astilbe and ferns. I do miss the smell of them.
“Something just fell on my head. Please let it be water.” - Erin 😂
This episode is so very relatable…from dealing with a pretty but pesky garden foe, to combating the laborious work in the heat, to questioning whether or not you’ve finally been pinged by bird poop. Don’t ever change, Erin. You’re fantastic just the way you are!
I actually went after mine swinging an adz because I just couldn’t get through the roots fifteen years ago and every spring I still find a few pieces. Also going after it in the spring is slightly less strenuous because the ground is soft. Thanks for all you do
One of the fall jobs I have done at the garden center I worked at was to go down to the woodland edge and dig out lily-of-the-valley and then pot up the pips to sell the next spring….insane, right!?
Thank you Erin! Your relatable and real personality is so appreciated. It is great to see how you are getting rid of the invasive plants and showing us some amazing tools along the way. I look forward to your videos!
After years of getting rid of lily of the valley, I'm still pulling them out. Thank goodness it's not as bad, but it is invasive for me here. I swear you'll keep finding some years down the road. Good luck to you. It's a HUGE job. Cheers from Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 zone 5b
I think it belongs in a pot in most areas. I had it at my old place that stayed put. But when I planted it this time was only a short time before I watched your video about it. I quickly dug and put in a pot. Thank you for that.
I used a mattock to dig out my Lily of the Valley. Then going back in with a hand rake and get all the roots. I then covered the area for two years with a double layer of cardboard and 4 inches of mulch. Happy to report no regrowth. I think I can finally replant the area with confidence.
@@dinri5544 oh that is amazing feedback! Thank you.
@@TheImpatientGardener doing same thing for bremuda grass. cardboard is so important. i shared my favorite tool above.
Your dirt looks nice for planting, after removing those roots. I planted Lilly of the valley 27 years ago, it never spread, in fact, I think it struggles in the shade, by the foundation, near a gutter sprout. Love love your style of gardening, I feel like you are a garden buddy!
Erin I agree! Lily of the Valley is just BRUTAL. I was chuckling when you said it is a nice plant for about a week & a half. I struggle to dig it up and for now I just yank the ugly leaves in areas & cover with mulch. The heat & humidity has been also brutal here in Southern Ontario to do any big jobs without losing my mind. I have a really good hand tool that helps me too. Good luck with this project! Thanks for all the good advice & keeping it real.😊😊
My nemesis was Snow on the Mountain new to gardening years ago I listened to a friend big mistake. Pulled it by hand for years finally it’s gone. Love those hand tools need some for my arsenal.
I have the same problem with creeping bell flower!
Eradicated almost all of it, but it still creeps into the garden from a neighbors yard, and mixes in with the perennials in my garden.
Oh that is maybe the worst of them all. I've been through that battle (and still am).
Every Southerner cried when you pulled out the lily of the valley. I wish it would grow here. I have some on the side of my house, willing it to give me a small bouquet. I got three stems this past spring. 😂
Cheers from North Carolina
My lily of the valley always looks terrible at the end of the season, I always have to cut it back. It doesn’t run out of control though because I have it boxed in with vigorous, very established, large Hosta beds. The Hosta tubers seem hold their own against Lilly of the valley. That was a surprising amount of plant material you dug out. Wow! Hard work. Well done! 🌱🌱🌱😃
my most used hand tool is from ace hardware. it could be called a "3 tine steel hand tiller'. mine has a wood handle tho. it is under $20. it would work perfect for lily of valley removal. i like it because i can sit and still have the power i need. it works like a mini mattock. there might be a taller version if you want to stand. part of the success is to not take huge chunks. put in some earbuds and cruise. removes tough hard crabgrass etc. 10 stars.
Erin, thank you for this video! It was just the kick I needed to tackle a narrow bed in my Zone 6B/7A garden that was chock full of Lily of the Valley. I had foolishly thought I could dig them up using a garden fork, but ended up removing it the way I would remove sod! A gardening task, I dreaded, but one that has left me with a feeling of deep satisfaction now that it’s done! As always, thanks for lighting the fire!
P.S. I’ve been wanting to tell you that I, too, use the expression “pot up”.
I totally understand what you are dealing with. I'm fighting it also. A neighbor gave me a hosta from her garden in which lily of the valley unknown to me came with it. Use to enjoy it in my grandparents' woods but not so much in my yard.🌸
Our garden is engulfed by spanish bluebells every spring. Every spring I aggressively dig it up. One day I shall conquer! 😂
I love Lily of the Valley. At least in pictures. I have ordered it from catalogs every yesr for 4 years. I even bought the rare-ish pink ones. I plant those little suckers every year and every year they fail to grow. After watching this video and reading the comments, I'm starting to believe that I've dodged a really big bullet!! Thanks for illuminating the true nature of this plant. You've probably saved me from years of back break and loads of cursing!! 😂
trinawilliams I'm in Georgia and planted lily of the valley and it blooms but never spreads. It may be not invasive in certain areas. I love it, too. I planted asiatic jasmine and loved it the first two years but year three it became a thug and as difficult to pull out as Erin experienced in this video.
My mother planted ivy, in the home she left me. I begged her not too. She said I could curse her and I do when dealing with it.
I so appreciate your reviews about the tools! I bought a Cobra Head from the manufacturer, LOVE. (After you using and telling, cleaning rock path I believe, which is where I definitely found use for it!) Terrific all round, to the point, grubber. I have the smaller V shaped Sneeboer spade and a long handled rake with fewer tines on my Christmas list! (Cross fingers!)
Even though we are at opposite top/bottom of the country, I get a ton of great information from you Miss Erin. Your Garden is very admirable. I'm trying for something as beautiful on a acre in Central Florida. Thank you for interesting and useful content. Ellen
I feel for you Erin. I have a patch of it that I thought I pulled all out 3 years ago and at the time I had then covered the soil with thick newspaper and about 3 inches of wood chips. Well, I’m back at it. It has grown back, just as thick and I’m digging about two feet deep or more this time to try to get all of those roots out!! OMG what a thug… 😮
I so enjoyed this video. I have been fighting lily of the valley this Summer. My mood was not nearly as chipper. I don’t know what made me ever plant it quite a few years ago.
I have the pink variety and it’s pretty well behaved. I had to deal with chameleon plant that was absolutely horrible to get rid of! It took years!
I am fighting the chameleon plant for several years. How did you get rid of it?
Hello from zone 6a (used to be zone 5b). Ugh watching you dig up all of that LOV made me relive my nightmare earlier this summer. My husband and I spent a whole weekend digging it out of a retaining wall garden bed. We pretty much removed almost all of the dirt and we were still finding roots. I unfortunately had planted it about 10 years ago as it was a gift from a neighbor. Well that gift was nice and pretty but it was taking over everything in its path. Every time I see a pip popping up I grab it immediately. I’m going to do my best to not let it grow again. I guess like you, I will see how it looks next spring.
Oh, gosh, Erin. I've dealt with this plant migrating from my neighbors' garden for years. I thought it was the red berries that made them so invasive so I try to dig them out before then.
Another invasive plant is tall phlox.
This weekend, I decided to yank out all those invasive species and it looks like my sort of invasive hedge of Therese Bugnet roses are able to breathe again. Some trees were also smothering out everything (thanks birdies 🐦).
What a difference.
I'm going to be on the lookout for some of that char soil amendment. My soil is so sandy
I feel your frustration,my problem plant is bittersweet I’m also trying the pulling method. The main problem is that I’m surrounded by bittersweet. I do use arborists chips when creating new beds and also to maintain beds. Thanks for all your advice.
The other reason I like these short spades is that I frequently garden on my rear due to back problems and these tools are great in those instances.
Yes! Great point. Also good for raised beds.
I battle this too, Erin. Every year I pull a lot of it. I've definitely weakened it but it always come back to a certain extent.
Our home is over a hundred years old. At some point a previous inhabitant thought Virginia creeper and ivy would be a good choice as a ground cover... 🤦
You dig like I do. My knees are bad so I have to bend at the waist. You’re much younger and look way more healthy than me so I hope your knees are ok. Take care of your Back. ❤
I know it is so unflattering to have my bum up in the air all the time, but I get SO dirty if I'm on the ground (and is it just me or is it a lot slower too?) and my knees are an absolute mess so that's no help either.
Thank you for your awesome information and education and witty banter. I just discovered you and subscribed. I have a shade garden that gets sun but my neighbor's four birch trees tower over it so it seems to shade the back side of this garden although the sun shines right into it (?). I discovered some Lily of the Valley peaking out from the green and white shrub-like plant you mentioned you were going to also use somewhere else in your garden which is nice and hasn't been an issue. I need to learn to identify plants better and am considering a master gardener class. I then went and bought a Lily of the Valley plant last year and planted it in a spot where it gets only sun in the front garden and this year it seemed to be happy and bloomed and then had little red berries on it. So darling of a plant. I was very surprised to hear it is more of a shade plant but maybe because being in Anchorage Alaska and all of the rain we've gotten this year (2024) it likes where it is. However, I think you have convinced me not to invest in encouraging it to grow because I have enough trouble yanking out tons of the purple bellflower that some how found it's way into my gardens. I also made the mistake of planting a Yarrow and now it's also taken over, plus a fiddle fern that some how found its way from the back of the house to this same garden. Yikes. Plus the Magpies and Ravens and Sparrows and Starlings most likely are culprits too; I love the birds though. I need a lot of help to figure out the best way to tame this particular garden and redo or reconfigure the shade garden I kind of stuffed full of various flowering plants (white fleece flower that is ginormous (+6ft tall), yellow iris, day lilies, and more I don't know the names of. I am also struggling with the grass that also has crept in. So exhausting just thinking about what needs to be done. Help! Where do I start?
I'm so glad I got rid of my small patch of lily of the valley after watching your previous video this spring. Thank you so much for the info.
I just yesterday ripped out a patch very similar in size of orange day lilies. Ugh! I’ve been working on eradicating them on this property for 3 years. Had to break it up because it’s so hard with that type of root system!! I live in Minneapolis. Totally feel this vibe. Well done!
I’ve been gardening since 1978 and have lovely memories of the sweet bouquets my elderly neighbor would leave on the doorstep of my lonely apartment after I returned home from night classes. She grew a groundcover of Lily of the Valley under a row azalea bushes bordering her city lot and I don’t remember them ever looking as stressed as yours do. Must be your maple tree. I have started a patch in an area of my large property where they’ll not be a problem. I am delighted to have been made aware of your Steerboer garden fork! I have used a garden fork to dig and divide perennials for years but it’s not the workhorse of your Steerboer. Today I discovered the hand spade I purchased at Burton Garden during a recent visit to the Cotswolds is a Steerboer! Having seen Monty Don use a similar tool I knew I had to have one and it indeed has made digging and planting in my heavy soil so much easier. I garden in eastern West Virginia, zone 7a. Thank you Erin for your always informative and entertaining videos!
We have rocky soil so my favorite hand tool is a small mattock. Good for hacking into the ground to start a planting hole and to pry out the inevitable rocks. I don’t envy you the lily of the valley but we have Japanese knotweed. JK has a very large root system so you can whack away at what is above ground but the plant always has plenty of reserves. Unless the plant is very young, there is no way to get the roots out. Sadly, the only way to remove it is repeated rounds of herbicide.
I've been dealing Japanese knotweed out at the family cottage and I've been making some good progress by cutting to just above the lowest knuckle and injecting herbicide. It's a miserable job though.
@@TheImpatientGardener Yep, but that should do it. I need to go do some more as fall is supposed to be the best time to apply the herbicide because the plants are pulling sugars back down into the roots. I just want to scream when I see the huge stands of the stuff that are growing along the roads here -- its easy to spot because it's blooming now. My secret dream is to teach deer to love knotweed.
Ferns at my dad's house. My mom bought them from my aunt's cabin 30+ yrs ago. Every once in a while one of us or many of us try to get rid of them. I'm never planting them at my house.
Haven't had a chance to watch yet but loved the pic at the beginning with you and your shovel. It looks like you're in a jungle. So cute
Hi I live in Scotland U.K. . I have Lilly of The Valley in a large square pot with some Orange Lilly's that come up in the centre for the summer July time. I think I will have to empty oot and separate them as did not get a lot of flowers this year.
I feel your pain Erin! I made the decision this summer to eliminate all the vinca 👹 in my center driveway turnaround. I’ve been picking away at it since late June. An hour or so every other night after work. I use a pitch fork to rip it up. Unfortunately there is also landscape fabric within some of it that I pull out. So far I have filled 8 of those yard waste bags from Home Depot! I feel like I might be half way done .🥵
This video definitely helped me at least feel like I’m not crazy to do such a backbreaking job! 😅
Thank you for that! I have a small patch of Lillie of the valley, my husband says it’s his favorite, says it reminds him of his grandmother, well guess what I have never liked it and it’s coming out….he never gardens and no wonder the Daylillies look like there being strangled.
I wanted to laugh but then remembered my own hard work pulling those 🤬lily of the valley from my own garden. It took hours of digging and pulling. But I couldn’t resist planting a few in pots that I will stick into the ground. Hopefully that will allow me to enjoy them without being overrun again. Good job Erin!
I will have a more efficient and longer, less exhausting day in the garden when I push a tool with my foot rather than push or pull tools with my arms. I'm in my 60s and garden in incredible heat and humidity. Whenever I have a choice, I will always stand and use a shovel, and waist high-handled is preferred.
I also am on a mission to "embrace" my mistake of planting lily of the valley! Last year I decided to see if containing them in one area by burying an 8" barrier of flashing would help. So far so good but Im still concerned the runners will decide to work their way under the flashing at some point. I am 2/3 done with the area and gave up because of the tedious task it is!! Maybe this video will motivate me to continue chipping away at it?!?!!
This video couldn't have come at a better time. Im going after creeping bell flower once and for all. (haha). Im going the smothering route and just moving everything I want to keep....lots of work but, like you said, it's a shame to let it keep invading all the pretty stuff. Thank you for tackling this issue. You inspired me!
"something just dripped on me, I hope it was water" lol! Lily of the Valley, yes, that was a tough one to remove from my garden...it's been over 10 years (?) and those buggers are still emerging every year. The battle is real!
Something just dropped on my head...I hope it was water 🤣🤣🤣
I never really did find out but no one told me there was bird poop on my head so I’m going with water.
Thank you for plantain spade suggestion. I just completed the Master Gardener program and this was a perfect symbolic reward !!
Well this is the motivation I need to Labor on the Day to remove some Japanese Knotweed! It's a decorative variegated form, but it's till hecken invasive! Several years ago, I dug out a 6'x6' clump that also had 20'+ runners along the foundation. I had done the injection herbicide method in fall, and the top growth was dead, but when I dug down the next spring, I saw hundreds of growth points along the roots. UGH.
I dug down 18" - 24" all along the foundation and sifted thru all of the dirt to grab any broken root or growth point. I've had good success with this method (I really would rather had killed it with 🔥🔥🔥) even though it's time consuming. I have a 'sprig' of it where a root went under the pool deck and we need to nip it back every few years. Fingers crossed the roots aren't entwined with the Amelanchier!
I've also taken out a 20'x10' patch of vinca, and a hellstrip full of bellflower at our old house. I left the lily of the valley because it was hemmed in between the garage and the driveway. Oh the fun things we inherit from previous homeowners! A gardeners work is never done... 😂
I'm battling crab grass, creeping Charlie, plantain weed and several other annoying weeds. I would welcome LOTV in my dry shade areas. especially if they controlled the problems I already have.
Love your videos! You explain the subject or subjects of gardening, which is helpful for others. Also love seeing your beautiful puppy dog !!
My front yard was filled with lily of the valley and vinca. Two of the worst groundcovers and the most difficult to dig out.
Yes, I planted it years ago when I was much younger and stupid.
I got tired of tripping over the vinca’s tendrils. After the spring flush and blooms of the lily of the valley, they turned into a mess of brown, ugly foliage.
The thick root mats were impossible to dig. So I hired my neighbor and his trusty Kubota tractor. What would have taken me months,if not years to eliminate, took him about an hour. He scraped out all the roots. We spread some new soil around and graded the area.
Yes, it is now prime planting area for more beautiful and controllable plants.
Ground covers are the worse invasive plants.
Okay, heading out for bindweed pulling and cutting… something I have been putting off for weeks! You gave me the push I need. 🤞
Thank you Erin. I always enjoy your videos. So informative.😊
What a coincidence, I was pulling some of the lily of the valley out of my garden today. It's crowding around a cypress that I particularly like. Good luck to both of us. Love your posts and look forward to each of them
I’m going through a similar experience removing chameleon plant from my 10x10’ front garden. The former owners gave me this gift that keeps on giving. I’ve emptied the garden 4 or so times and it just keeps coming back from tiny fragments of root. I figure it will take years unless I remove everything else and use a herbicide. I’ll keep pulling for the next season and see if I can win. Ugh! Thanks for the tool options. Drew
I have Lily of the Valley which I love. My thugs are creeping Charlie, periwinkle and goutweed. Trying to keep on those can be so time consuming!!
So glad in my Australian garden I have no Lilly of the Valley. What a job you have ...
We had some Lilly of the Valley in our yard 30 years ago when we moved in. It has actually stayed very confined. I have removed it here and there as we revamped the one main bed it was in. I think why it isn't so bad in our yard is we don't have much full shade, and we have so many rocks in our soil it can never form such a mat. There was also Comfrey in that same area when we moved in...pretty sure it will never be eradicated 😀
This spring my lily of the valley started to spread for the first time. Finally covered area with thick black tarp and bags of mulch. We will see come spring if it works. I am in PA 6b/7a. Thank you for sharing.
Lily of the Valley, Chameleon plant, Ostrich fern, and Liriope once upon a time used to live in my garden, but not any more. I learned the hard way to do my research before saying yes to a gift of thug plants. There are so many other wonderful plants that know how to play nicely in the dirt. And you're right Erin - there are LOTS more pips under that ginormous Maple. Thanks for sharing.
Ugh. Lily of the Valley. We’re in CT where our motto is “Welcome to Connecticut, have another rock”. We dig down through eighteen inches of alluvial-deposited rocks, follow the roots, remove, then adding to our joy, we sift for very tiny minuscule bit of roots. This is something we do every year. It’s the King Kong of invasive only matched buy pachysandra.
I’m in south central PA & in my yard lily of the valley is behaving. My MAJOR thug is chameleon plant (houttuynia cordata)also known as fishmint, heart leaf & rainbow plant. I think it’s pretty however I wish I never would have planted it!!😬
Thanks for the inspiration- I’m off to tackle mugwort, again. I use smothering, digging and pulling..for years now. It just won’t give up. Good luck with your Lily of the Valley!
All else fails, eat it. Koreans call it “sook” and pick it every spring. It’s Korean Mugwort but I suspect they are all edible.
That stuff will grow from any tiny bit of root!
My mom has the same issue with white gooseneck (loosestrife) it's not INVASIVE but it sure is aggressive and a PITA to get rid of. So when she asked if I wanted some of course I said sure. I've got it trapped in a little patch of dirt surround by the concrete of the driveway, sidewalk and road lol. It fills in the area very well and it's really beautifull for like a whole month when it's blooming. I get alot of questions about it when people walk by.
Gooseneck loosestrife is awful! I've planted it and it requires consistent maintenance to control it.
It is native to Japan and China, so in the native plant community, it is considered an invasive (i.e. not native to the U.S.A.).
After more than 15 years of eradicating lily of the valley from my garden, almost every year I get a new lily of the valley sprout in the same area..🤬
Your garden is so pretty.
😂 I don’t think there is anywhere in the world where they love to live and not are invasiv! I will probably need to do the same in some areas of my new garden as it is in a natural wood where they are a part of the ecosystem and nativ 🫣 Lots of love from Sweden 🇸🇪
We moved into our house 35 years ago and there was a small clump of lily of the valley. It is still there and has only spread slightly. I've heard about it being invasive but this clump has been pretty well behaved.
It's as bad as bindweed....any roots left over and it just multiplies!!!
I think the garden will look so more attractive when you ,look at the beautiful hakanoa grasses beyond.
Good on you for tackling such a horrible job.
Ergonomic tools make life in the garden so much easier.
I will see if your Handspade tool is available in NZ (Seebour)
You'll see me dragging my spade, it's sooo heavy, lol.😊
Respectfully disagree!! At least lily of the valley has pretty blooms and smells heavenly. Bindweed has no positive attributes.😂
I've been eliminating 2 beds of lily of the valley. We dug and dug again. This was year 3 and very early in the season I sprayed the last scragglers with Roundup. The leaves were not yet unfurled. 100% success.
Good luck with keeping the lily of the valley from coming back! I ended up spraying mine several times to finally get rid of it. I live in Iowa, and it is a thug here, too!
Each spring I am dealing with ivy, lily of the valley and periwinkle, which I planted 25 years ago, and am now removing ! It is a journey each spring !!!!
Wonderful video and real gardening. Thanks
Omg, I feel your pain regarding the Lilly of the valley. If you don’t remove every little inch of roots, they come back with twice the amount that you removed. Sort of thanking you for the “root prune”
I dug down at least a foot and sifted out every piece of the roots in a spot that was 3ft x 4ft. It took me multiple days. No love loss for lilies of the valley 🥵
That's what I did in the circle garden. Too many roots to get down that far on this first crack in this spot, but that's definitely the way to really get at it.
Ughh better you than me, it is 96 degrees with 90% humidity today. I’m hoping for better gardening weather next week!
I have Gooseneck loosestrife and Virginia Creeper to deal with! I bought the Gooseneck loosestrife at a well known garden center in my area and did not know it was so invasive. I will never get rid of it! Ugh!!!
Erin, your videos always crack me up.
Lily of the valley is pretty well behaved in my zone 5a southern Vermont garden. Here it’s orange daylillies, and creeping bellflower.
Our soil is a clay with zillions of rocks of all sizes . The roots of both seem to get underneath everyone of them. My handheld cobra head cultivator seems to work best, but it’s a spring and fall job on the bellflower in some spots
Kudos, Erin, for a job well done! 😊
Rent a mini excavator with a grading or clean out bucket (a wider smooth edge bucket).
I am so past digging up invasive spreaders! Carefully applied Roundup is my friend!😅
Can't believe I'm saying this, but my love affair with daylilies is over. In my garden, they are thugs. Ground elder my other nemesis. Don't even get me going on jumping worms - destroying my garden.
I dismissed daylilies from the garden a few years ago and I don't regret it. Ground elder is terrible!
We have some lily of the valley that someone planted long before us, and in Colorado it grows in a really tough spot that we haven't got other things to grow. Still not impressive, but at least something is alive.
My Lilly of the Valley is from my mother-in-law 30 years ago. For a while , I thought I had “taken care of it”. Well, no, it is back with a vengeance. Maybe I’ll try again.