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Green Alkanet

suzie000suzie000 Posts: 8

Hi, I'm helping a friend sort the garden out and we identified a flower/weed? as green alkanet. Yes, it's pretty and the bees love it but it's taking over the garden. We want to keep some of it but despite a lot of digging, it keeps coming back where we don't want it. Any advise would be most welcome. Thank you.

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  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Don't let it seed. It's very deep rooted, you may have to resort to glyphosate or something



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • suzie000suzie000 Posts: 8

    Thank you for the advice, I did notice the roots went on forever. Time to buy some plant killer .

  • WakouWakou Posts: 21

    A couple of years ago I took over a garden similarly afflicted... It is an amazingly resilient plant. It self-seeds very readily, and I once tried to dig up a plant completely, the tap root went down over 2 feet. The roots are very brittle, you can hear them "pop" when you try to pull up the plants, and they happily regrow from root fragments. I was at first reluctant, but judicious use of a glyphoste squirter on new leaves will eventually get on top. Good luck!

  • suzie000suzie000 Posts: 8

    Many thanks for the reply. Have spoken to my friend whose garden it is and he has decided to zapp them all, as he doesn't get a lot of free time to keep up maintenance. Another question if I may, can you suggest a fast growing evergreen ground cover? 

  • Peanuts3Peanuts3 Posts: 759

    is it too early in the year to use glyphosate?  I'm thinking get them young ?

    I'm off to tackle mine now, fork or glyphosate ? that's the question...

  • Glypghosate only works when a plant is actively growing - use it when there's a good supply of fresh young shoots. 

    No point in digging alkanet in my experience - every little bit of root left behind will grow again!


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Peanuts3Peanuts3 Posts: 759

    that saved me a job today then Dovefromabove, thank you.  Dug out nettles instead. will zap the alkanet in a few weeks time.  thank you.

  • Oh no ...

     

    I have just bought two plants on ebay for a tenner for the shady part of our garden under the oak tree.

    Maybe now will have to put in containers & not let it seed ....

    Any advice ... ?

    The part of our garden under the oak tree is for all wildflowers & I just let it get on with itself,but I would dread it spreading to my managed beds.

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Peanuts alkanet is growing quickly right now there's no need to wait if you leave it a few weeks it will be setting seed and letting them go. I started on alkanet about a month ago it's already blooming in the lanes around me and some of the gardens I work in. 

  • Thanks for the advice folks ...

     

    I've managed to change my order on ebay with the seller as it hasn't yet been despatched.

    I've got a 1x Forsythia Lynwood Gold mature bush shrub instead for an extra £1.20.

    Also I recently planted my free 'Wildflowers' in pots from the Grow Wild' project on BBC.

    I put them in containers just in case they become invasive as well.

    I decided to dedicate part of the garden to wildflowers under the 22 yr old 'Oak Tree' .... Before this time the garden was barren.

     

    Once again thanks for the warning about 'Sempervirens'

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