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Garden overrun with Muscari

jaffacakesjaffacakes Posts: 434
in Problem solving
Hi all,

Hope you can give some advice on what is Muscari Americanum i think please. Basically it's everywhere. I just bought this mature garden and although it gives an amazing display almost like a river, i want to plant more perennials and seeds in the borders for a summer display. There is even lots of muscari foliage at the end of the garden smothering the shurbs that didn't flower at all.

What should i do with these? Do i dig up clumps where i just want to plant other plants or will they spread over the other perennials eventually? Will i cut off the flower heads soon to prevent more seeding? I don't want to completely get rid of spring flowers because i think they will look nice next spring again with daffodils.

Hope you all have some advice :smile:
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Posts

  • DyersEndDyersEnd Posts: 730
    I have the same problem in my garden. I pull them up by the handful but it doesn't help long term so I'll be interested in any other replies you get.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    good luck trying to defeat it. 
    I used to look after a garden and they grew up between the cracks in 2" think York stone slabs.
    Devon.
  • jaffacakesjaffacakes Posts: 434
    Oh great. They are actually growing on top of the boundary wall on top of moss haha. Will they really smother other perennials? They do look nice and give a long display. I'm worried about cutting back and losing flowers too.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    To be fair, they die back down after they've finished their display so they're not a REAL problem per sé, but IMHO they're invasive weeds once they get going.
    Devon.
  • jaffacakesjaffacakes Posts: 434
    Thanks, so eventually i can cut back foliage once it looks tatty? It will probably take me about 2 weeks to do that alone with the amount there is here. I was going to plant perennials and summers flowers (cosmos etc) and cover in some bark mulch once they are finished their display.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    they have the good grace to die down pretty quickly and fairly cleanly. I'd not bother with cutting them back, they'll just GO back.
    Devon.
  • GardenmaidenGardenmaiden Posts: 1,126
    I don't have any in my front garden but somehow I have them in a stone planter that's on a stone ledge 12 feet high up on the front of my house, and I didn't plant them. I would dig them up to create the spaces you need and either plant elsewhere or give away to anyone who would like them.
  • jaffacakesjaffacakes Posts: 434
    Thank you, shame the snowdrops at the other end of the garden doesn't spread like these. I will dig up clumps. I've actually seen them for sale in garden centres at crazy prices :open_mouth:
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    edited March 2019
    I think I would dig some out while they are still up so you can see where you do or don't want them?
    Then you can always pull the leaves off patches you have missed or don't want as that will weaken them. Even if a few come up where you plant new plants. weeding out or pulling the leaves helps. Also
    Though you probably have years of seedlings to come up.
    I think dead heading them as soon as they start to go over will help to stop so many seedlings.

    I might even be tempted to run the mower over them. don't worry as already mentioned they are tough. It would be highly unlikely you would lose them, there are always some.

    They do look nice though :)
    Edit I just realized .
    As you said you only just bought the garden, maybe wait and see what else might follow ( if anything) before going mad and digging up as I first said....if the muscari don't drive you to it first :D
    It is a cracking nice garden.
  • jaffacakesjaffacakes Posts: 434
    Thank you. I love the garden too. Orientation is not the best but is nice space to work with. Yes i wasn't going to much work this year. Mainly a big tidy up and planting some cuttings of plants/seedlings in gaps that i brought from my previous garden. From what i remember when viewing last year. Crocosmia is the main plant that follows the muscari and there lots of tulips coming up at the moment  :)

    I''m very tempted to build a wildlife pond this year at the end of the garden in the sunny corner though. Waiting for the lawn to recover after scarifying at the moment. I can see some growth just beginning  :)
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