Pesky bluebells

This year my lily of the valley came into bud before the bluebells.
This year I have loads of oak shoots. Some come easily some refuse. Never had so many I guess it's because last year was a 'mast year.

Are you sure they aren't muscari or grape hyacinths?

These can be invasive and are often confused with native bluebells, which are much more fragile.

I once made the big mistake of planting those little tiny Alium bulbs in two spots in my garden. They multiplied by bulb and seed, and soon swamped everything in those areas of the beds.

The only way I got rid of them was to a) dig them up as soon as the leaves appeared (they are much harder to get up with bulb/s intact once they flower) and b) if the bulb didn't come up first time, to pull off all the leaves anyway.

It's taken at least 10 years to get rid of all but a few, but as soon as I see one, I pull off the leaves and there are less and less each year.

Maybe this would work with your bluebells? keepingquiet, I had to do the same as above with the muscari - hundreds of the little blighters! Not seen any of those for a good few years now!

I can’t imagine wanting to get rid of them. And I certainly wouldn’t use any spray. Insects are enough crisis as it is. if they go, they will take us with them. People need to wake up to gardening in a way that does not poison nature.

I absolutely adore bluebells

It not that they aren’t pretty, it’s that they are a menace when they pop up in the middle of other plants, on the lawn, and spread like wildfire.

If you wish to get rid of them I am pretty sure glyphosate will do the job but you might need more than one application. Timing is important as absorbed through the leaves I am battling a patch of the wild crocosmia they are thugs too

We recently purchased a bungalow with a very large garden, around the trees are a mass of bluebells, I am delighted they are so beautiful and delicate, a3 Sundays ago a lady came to my door and asked could her granddaughter have her holy communion pictures taken in among the bluebells? Of course I said yes, there is a very large sitting stone there too,
It was lovely to see the young girl in her white dress sitting among the flowers, they then came and asked could my frenchie be in a couple of pictures with her so yes of course I said.

Spent yesterday afternoon working on them . I wasn’t too successful with the bulbs because many are in difficult places but they pulled off the stems and leaves.
They are definitely Spanish bluebells and as someone else said they come up through other plants and even though gravel.
I will look for that weed killer.

keepingquiet

Are you sure they aren't muscari or grape hyacinths?

These can be invasive and are often confused with native bluebells, which are much more fragile.

I really see how those can be confused with bluebells - they look so very different! Though admittedly my dh might very well not know - he can barely tell a pansy from a buttercup. He once told me that dd and family had been to see the orchids at Kew - dd had sent a pic.

Since it was some time before Kew’s usual indoor orchid display, I was bemused - until I saw the pic! It was of the crocus carpet!! 😂
He honestly didn’t know one from the other.

The reason most weedkillers fail with bluebells (and ivy) is the shininess of the leaves. Adding some washing up liquid will help it adhere (obviously you’ll have to use your own spray bottle) - and also slightly damaging the leaves.

I had a cluster of Canterbury Bell a couple of years , never planted them ,it was either birds dropping seeds or the wind,I've to keep pulling out roots , but I like them they're lovely purple and pinkish so I'm keeping them,but I won't let them take over.