I had a 20m x 3m bit of garden here when we moved in that had very established elder in it. I went the dig it up route and was quite succesful. A year later I've not seen any elder at all.
It is a lot more difficult when there are plants established, but how would putting down heavy duty sheeting over the top of the elder work? Leave the established plants above the sheet and block the leder form the sun. I don't know if it'd work for elder, but it did on a section of lawn that I'm going to turn into a sun patio.
Just to let you know Ground elder sends down sub roots which i'm reliably informed with the right soil conditions can go as much as a meter down. This is a survival tactic the plant has developed along with the break off joints in the roots designed by nature to help the plant survive. With this in mind do what i do, just keep digging. AAARRGGG.
There is only one solution other than covering it with a light blocking sheet for at least 12 months, and it ain't digging! if there is someone out there Who has Totally eradicated an infestation by digging then please tell me how.
otherwise, glyphosate is the only solution.
Sorry about typing. Still trying to master my new nexus toy!
I bought a pretty variegated leafed plant described just as "small, variegated" at a yellow book garden I think, last year. Went to so many, don't know where it came from!! A couple or so weeks ago I noticed variegated leaves starting to poke through - 1 by the label; 1 a foot to the right; 1 a foot behind & 1 was about 2 foot to the left.
I did some investigative digging - oh dear!! I just pulled up all the roots that I could & removed some of the other plants to safety. I'm now waiting for the leaves to look nice & plumptious before dabbing them with glyphosate.
Recently I came across a comment by Helen Yemm the gardener & writer having a bit of a rant about the fact that variegated ground elder was on sale. If this one had been accurately labelled then I wouldn't have bought it & didn't realise the significance of the leaf shape at the time.
Actually I bought three plants of this 12 years ago, it lives quietly and safely under my red sycamore where absolutely nothing had grown ever. As long as I never let it flower, watch out that it does not leak out into any nearby pot, it has been quiet and well behaved. It lights up a dark corner which would otherwise be always dark and dull. It disappears each winter, I grow spring tiny bulbs there with epidmediums along the open side, it never tries to overgrow those,. As with any ground cover plant, ensure that it has to struggle to survive and it will behave - it has no choice. I don't pretend this is a suitable plant for very many places, it could esasily get away in better growing circumstances, but it is not getting better circumstances so it stays put.
That's interesting Bookertoo, mine is in a raised bed with lovely soft soil facing east & getting lots of sun. Maybe where I bought it from had similar conditions to you, so for them it was small.
I think so too HJ, in the situation you have it, it must think it is in heaven. If you have a dull dark corner where nothing grows, move it there - otherwise get rid of it!! I love it where it is, but would never give it a prime place such as yours has. I think it a pity that growers of such plants don't put proper information on the labels, for this one, mile a minute plant and a few others I know about.
I unravel it from the neighbouring plants, pop as much of it in a bucket as I can, and zap the jiggle out of it within the bucket. The bucket protects the neighbouring plants from getting frazzled. Worked for me
Posts
I had a 20m x 3m bit of garden here when we moved in that had very established elder in it. I went the dig it up route and was quite succesful. A year later I've not seen any elder at all.
It is a lot more difficult when there are plants established, but how would putting down heavy duty sheeting over the top of the elder work? Leave the established plants above the sheet and block the leder form the sun. I don't know if it'd work for elder, but it did on a section of lawn that I'm going to turn into a sun patio.
Just to let you know Ground elder sends down sub roots which i'm reliably informed with the right soil conditions can go as much as a meter down. This is a survival tactic the plant has developed along with the break off joints in the roots designed by nature to help the plant survive. With this in mind do what i do, just keep digging. AAARRGGG.
There is only one solution other than covering it with a light blocking sheet for at least 12 months, and it ain't digging! if there is someone out there Who has Totally eradicated an infestation by digging then please tell me how.
otherwise, glyphosate is the only solution.
Sorry about typing. Still trying to master my new nexus toy!
Therr
I bought a pretty variegated leafed plant described just as "small, variegated" at a yellow book garden I think, last year. Went to so many, don't know where it came from!! A couple or so weeks ago I noticed variegated leaves starting to poke through - 1 by the label;
1 a foot to the right;
1 a foot behind
& 1 was about 2 foot to the left.
I did some investigative digging - oh dear!! I just pulled up all the roots that I could & removed some of the other plants to safety. I'm now waiting for the leaves to look nice & plumptious before dabbing them with glyphosate.
Recently I came across a comment by Helen Yemm the gardener & writer having a bit of a rant about the fact that variegated ground elder was on sale. If this one had been accurately labelled then I wouldn't have bought it & didn't realise the significance of the leaf shape at the time.
Actually I bought three plants of this 12 years ago, it lives quietly and safely under my red sycamore where absolutely nothing had grown ever. As long as I never let it flower, watch out that it does not leak out into any nearby pot, it has been quiet and well behaved. It lights up a dark corner which would otherwise be always dark and dull. It disappears each winter, I grow spring tiny bulbs there with epidmediums along the open side, it never tries to overgrow those,. As with any ground cover plant, ensure that it has to struggle to survive and it will behave - it has no choice. I don't pretend this is a suitable plant for very many places, it could esasily get away in better growing circumstances, but it is not getting better circumstances so it stays put.
That's interesting Bookertoo, mine is in a raised bed with lovely soft soil facing east & getting lots of sun. Maybe where I bought it from had similar conditions to you, so for them it was small.
I think so too HJ, in the situation you have it, it must think it is in heaven. If you have a dull dark corner where nothing grows, move it there - otherwise get rid of it!! I love it where it is, but would never give it a prime place such as yours has. I think it a pity that growers of such plants don't put proper information on the labels, for this one, mile a minute plant and a few others I know about.
I unravel it from the neighbouring plants, pop as much of it in a bucket as I can, and zap the jiggle out of it within the bucket. The bucket protects the neighbouring plants from getting frazzled. Worked for me