I've googled the weed and yes it is that one. I have lots on my veg patch
The Day Lilly is right too, thank you. I couldn't remember what the flowers were like until I googled it. I think I read somewhere yesterday that if you dead head the day lily regularly it will flower all summer, is that right?
So now I know what they all are I just need pruning/splitting tips. The pruning tips I've found for the Hebe are a bit ambiguous and I don't know if I want to cut it right back??
Am I ok to split the day lily now? If so great because I can put some in my new border, but how do I do it successfully?
Yes pull them out and put them in the wheely bin - you'll never get rid of them, but better get them out at this stage - once you've let them seed they'll be everywhere!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If I pull out as much as I can then dig over the veg patch, I'm presuming they will die as they are annuals - only tiny little ones I mean, obviously I will pull up as much as I can. I have quite a few weeds in the veg patch that I don't recognise and I'm sure they weren't there last year. Loads of chickweed too!! And bits of glass - goodness knows where that has come from when I double dug it all and sieved it last year
Bittercress is an annual, as you say, but it can have several generations in one year, which is why it's important to get rid of it before it can flower and go to seed. Hoeing is OK at this stage. Once it's gone to seed you can't touch it without the seed pods exploding and firing the tiny seeds everywhere - it's a very efficient mechanism to keep the species going!
Incidentally, there are two similar species of bittercress, Hairy and Wavy (Cardamine hirsuta and C. flexuosa). It isn't possible to tell the difference at the seedling stage, but they are both equally undesirable in gardens.
With the Hebe check the bare stems below the foliage, if there are tiny shoots further down then you can prune back to those. The new growth will stop it looking so woody. If there are no shoots then just give the plant a little trim, to stimulate some new growth.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Tracie we have hairy bittercress on our vegetable plot - it is annoying because it is fiddly to pick out, but as a veteran in the war against ground elder, I can tell you that as weeds go, it is pretty small potatoes! And yes, what is it about glass? I can only presume that previous generations drank lots of beer and threw the bottles around in their gardens!
I can think of a good reason to keep hairy bittercress - it's delicious! It tastes like ordinary cress but a little bit stronger. It's great in a salad or sandwich. I don't weed it out now unless it's growing somewhere really inconvenient, but I've eaten so much of it that it's beginning to disappear from my garden!
Thanks everyone, all Bittercress gone from my border and made a start on the veg patch, I don't really want to eat it and would rather have carrots if I'm honest.
There are no shoots at the bottom of the hebe, I had a look today, so will just give it a light trim for now.
The day Lily I am going to leave for now, it actually isn't that big, I think the pic makes it look bigger because I zoomed in. Am I right in saying in will flower all summer if I deadhead it?
Posts
I've googled the weed and yes it is that one. I have lots on my veg patch
The Day Lilly is right too, thank you. I couldn't remember what the flowers were like until I googled it. I think I read somewhere yesterday that if you dead head the day lily regularly it will flower all summer, is that right?
So now I know what they all are I just need pruning/splitting tips. The pruning tips I've found for the Hebe are a bit ambiguous and I don't know if I want to cut it right back??
Am I ok to split the day lily now? If so great because I can put some in my new border, but how do I do it successfully?
Yes
pull them out and put them in the wheely bin - you'll never get rid of them, but better get them out at this stage - once you've let them seed they'll be everywhere!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If I pull out as much as I can then dig over the veg patch, I'm presuming they will die as they are annuals - only tiny little ones I mean, obviously I will pull up as much as I can. I have quite a few weeds in the veg patch that I don't recognise and I'm sure they weren't there last year. Loads of chickweed too!! And bits of glass - goodness knows where that has come from when I double dug it all and sieved it last year
Bittercress is an annual, as you say, but it can have several generations in one year, which is why it's important to get rid of it before it can flower and go to seed. Hoeing is OK at this stage. Once it's gone to seed you can't touch it without the seed pods exploding and firing the tiny seeds everywhere - it's a very efficient mechanism to keep the species going!
Incidentally, there are two similar species of bittercress, Hairy and Wavy (Cardamine hirsuta and C. flexuosa). It isn't possible to tell the difference at the seedling stage, but they are both equally undesirable in gardens.
We talked about pruning overgrown hebe here
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/plants/hebe-help/4223.html
I think I'm right in saying they're not keen on being cut back hard - take some cuttings!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
With the Hebe check the bare stems below the foliage, if there are tiny shoots further down then you can prune back to those. The new growth will stop it looking so woody. If there are no shoots then just give the plant a little trim, to stimulate some new growth.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Tracie we have hairy bittercress on our vegetable plot - it is annoying because it is fiddly to pick out, but as a veteran in the war against ground elder, I can tell you that as weeds go, it is pretty small potatoes! And yes, what is it about glass? I can only presume that previous generations drank lots of beer and threw the bottles around in their gardens!
I can think of a good reason to keep hairy bittercress - it's delicious! It tastes like ordinary cress but a little bit stronger. It's great in a salad or sandwich. I don't weed it out now unless it's growing somewhere really inconvenient, but I've eaten so much of it that it's beginning to disappear from my garden!
There are no shoots at the bottom of the hebe, I had a look today, so will just give it a light trim for now.
The day Lily I am going to leave for now, it actually isn't that big, I think the pic makes it look bigger because I zoomed in. Am I right in saying in will flower all summer if I deadhead it?
Thanks everyone