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Get your garden out

Hi all,
Rhododendron surrounded by ground elder. Any tips for getting rid of the latter?
Nice Rhododendron, unfortunately it is pick a name with these, but it looks like a R. williamsianum hybrid. They like a sunny position, but are a bit prone to frost damage to the new growth and flowers (the plant itself is really hardy). I really like <"Temple Belle"> and may yet find a big pot for it (our garden soil is unsuitable).

Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagria) is a problem. We had a bit of it in our garden when we moved in, but over time I got rid of it by continually removing the green shoots and any rhizome I could get at.

People often recommend deep digging, but that is counter productive because it creates bare ground and any rhizome fragments really enjoy themselves without any competition. <"Glyphosate worked">, but you still have the bare ground issue after treatment.

You could try a ground-cover Geranium. If you planted <"Geranium x oxonianum "Claridge Druce"> it would definitely work over time, but you might eventually consider the Ground Elder the lesser of the two evils.

cheers Darrel
 
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Bought Solufeed a while ago, and since I’m tankless at the moment I’ve been using it to feed the pots. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my plants look greener or healthier. Or flowers look so vibrant.
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I have seen this before Geraniums near to and in water, a few years ago working on a factory an overgrown part of the canal ,masses of "wild" geranium in flower growing at side of and into canal, it was a lovely sight
 
Rhododendron surrounded by ground elder. Any tips for getting rid of the latter?
Ground elder is a bugger indeed. We have a patch in a rose border that every few years we think we've finally got on top of, then it returns.
If you don't mind spraying, now is probably the time, when it's in full growth. If you're using glyphosate, the trick is to feed it generously first, and then hit it a week or so later.
We had one area where we gave up weeding round things, and just dug everything out we wanted to keep, stuck it in buckets, and then we could dig properly to a depth and clear it. We still get the odd bit returns but 20 years on it's still relatively free. Rhodos are very shallow rooted, so yours would probably lift and move quite easily: I'd be inclined to do that and then you can really get at the ground elder properly.

we also have a continuous battle with bluebells, which are v. invasive and will outcompete any small bulbs. If you have the Spanish ones (not sure from the photo but if you have mauves and whites they'll be spanish, and the plant is coarser overall than the native) they're particularly invasive and if there is a proper bluebell wood at all close by, bees will crosspollinate and the wood will end up as a hybrid population, which is quite a loss.
 
I love a Turk's cap Lily. If I had somewhere cool and damp I'd definitely have a go with that one.

Maybe a move to Alba beckons.
everybody welcome!
I look longingly at the Nomocharis and <"Lilium nepalense"> lilies even though my garden could be more unsuitable.
<"https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Nomocharis">
Have just started with Nomocharis .. but we have lots of turkscaps, most now over for this year, sadly. They will survive in a sunny border, but not really thrive. These langkonense, and some martagons, are actually in a well-drained raised bed in fairly full sun. But then, full sun in the NE of Scotland is probably the same light as semi-shaded in much of England.

Plenty of seed set this year on the martagons, if you fancy a go.
 
Hi all,
Plenty of seed set this year on the martagons, if you fancy a go.
I've grown a few over the years, but they've all dwindled away eventually. One problem is that they are haute cuisine for Lily Beetles.

About the only one that survives long term is Lilium pardalinum, and that never looks like it is enjoying itself.
CorshamLily2023b.jpg


cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,
a few years ago working on a factory an overgrown part of the canal ,masses of "wild" geranium in flower growing at side of and into canal,
Possibly <"Geranium x oxonianum "Claridge Druce"> it is very tenacious of life and sets seed freely, I've seen it "wild" in all sorts of places.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,

I've grown a few over the years, but they've all dwindled away eventually. One problem is that they are haute cuisine for Lily Beetles.

About the only one that survives long term is Lilium pardalinum, and that never looks like it is enjoying itself.
Ah, well there's another reason to move to Scotland. So far we've been spared .. though we're all aware that may change. I'm in the Scottish Rock Garden Society, and haven't heard of folk in the NE suffering .. yet.

I'd keep trying though. A lot of the martagons on the market are actually hybrids, with L. hansonii in particulary, but many named varieties probably way beyond resolving into particular parentage. Some are much more robust than others. Our conditions are generally favourable, but still some varieties go better than others. Our best doer, probably, is L. m. albiflorum .. grows well and sets lots of seed. Very happy to send you some if you fancy another try.
 
Spent some time in the garden today watching bees enjoy the lavender. It's literally buzzing with them. So far I've seen several different species of bumblebee.
Some iphone shots.

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