The Lemon Fool

I have a surfeit of Scottish Bluebells (for want of a better term) They are a bit like Alchemilla Mollis; once you have them you cannot get rid of them. I have a border which is taken over by them at this time of year and am anxiously trying to weed them out of another border as they appear so as to avoid the same thing happening there.

I assume they must spread a bit like moss, by spores or something. Does anyone have a cure?

Dod

Dod101 wrote:I have a surfeit of Scottish Bluebells (for want of a better term) They are a bit like Alchemilla Mollis; once you have them you cannot get rid of them. I have a border which is taken over by them at this time of year and am anxiously trying to weed them out of another border as they appear so as to avoid the same thing happening there.

I assume they must spread a bit like moss, by spores or something. Does anyone have a cure?

Dod

I suggest that you make up a small spray bottle with glyphosate at an appropriate dilution, before screwing the top on, add a squirt of washing up liquid which helps the glyphosate penetrate the waxy leaves. Spray the leaves. It will take several years of treatment but it will work eventually. I used to have a proliferation of Spanish Bluebells in my garden and they are now gone.

RC

Dod101 wrote:I have a surfeit of Scottish Bluebells (for want of a better term...

Know your enemy

I suspect you mean this....

...officially its a Campanula and its also known as the Harebell by our neighbours across the border.
But, hey, this is Scotland and we claimed it hundreds of years ago, and guess what, we called it the Bluebell, not any old Bluebell, but our Bluebell....

https://aberdeengardening.co.uk/2012/03 ... luebell-2/

Actually after consulting the pictures from Breelander I now know that my bluebells are actually the Spanish ones. My late wife would have known but alas I am not very good on this sort of thing. As the article says, they are a bit of a thug.

Had they been the much more delicate harebell I would have been less concerned. Anyway I will try out RC's suggestion of glyphosate spray. I assume it is still available. So many of these weedkillers seem to have been taken off the market.

Many thanks for helping me out.

Dod

Another approach is to find someone who would like your bluebells - and may even be prepared to dig them up and transport them to their own garden.
A few days ago I was digging a number of gifted bluebells into a community wooded garden - to join the others already there, and a few years ago I also dug a number of gifted bluebells into some rough ground near our fishing loch - and they are a welcome sight. They all appeared to be bluebells of the UK (English) variety
I know the "Scottish" bluebell is the harebell - and yours are definitely not those. But this leaves the possibility that they are the UK native bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) or the Spanish bluebell (Hyancinthoides hispanica). You have said that you suspect that they are the Spanish variety from Breelander's link - however if you are in any doubt, the Wildlife Trust pages at https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/identify-bluebells will also help with the identification.

The Spanish variety is invasive, is more vigorous and people are worried that it x breeds with the ‘English’ variety leading to the loss of the characteristic scent of bluebell woods. AIUI the Spanish variety has no perfume. The are easily identified by having broader bladed leaves and flowers all around the stem,rather than on one side. Their colour seems to be paler blue and often there are pink variations.
If they are Spanish, I recommend glyphosate.

I have bluebells and daffodils in front of my office and I am happy to keep them. They are seasonal.

Nimrod103 wrote:The Spanish variety is invasive, is more vigorous and people are worried that it x breeds with the ‘English’ variety leading to the loss of the characteristic scent of bluebell woods. AIUI the Spanish variety has no perfume. The are easily identified by having broader bladed leaves and flowers all around the stem,rather than on one side. Their colour seems to be paler blue and often there are pink variations.
If they are Spanish, I recommend glyphosate.

I hope I'm allowed to wander off topic, but the Spanish bluebell extermination policy reminds me of the poor old Ruddy Ducks - which had bright blue beaks. They were an import from America, and were a colourful addition to our lochs and lakes. But like our human populace they headed south for Sun and Sex - lots of Sex with Spanish White Headed Ducks, and so were endangering the racial purity of the White Headed species. Hence a merciless culling policy of the Ruddy Ducks was introduced in the UK, until they were all gone. It was estimated that the cost of shooting a Ruddy Duck was significantly more than buying them an airline ticket to get back to the USA. I miss the Ruddy Ducks - no longer a bluebeak on our loch to match the bluebells on its banks.

scotia wrote:

Nimrod103 wrote:The Spanish variety is invasive, is more vigorous and people are worried that it x breeds with the ‘English’ variety leading to the loss of the characteristic scent of bluebell woods. AIUI the Spanish variety has no perfume. The are easily identified by having broader bladed leaves and flowers all around the stem,rather than on one side. Their colour seems to be paler blue and often there are pink variations.
If they are Spanish, I recommend glyphosate.

I hope I'm allowed to wander off topic, but the Spanish bluebell extermination policy reminds me of the poor old Ruddy Ducks - which had bright blue beaks. They were an import from America, and were a colourful addition to our lochs and lakes. But like our human populace they headed south for Sun and Sex - lots of Sex with Spanish White Headed Ducks, and so were endangering the racial purity of the White Headed species. Hence a merciless culling policy of the Ruddy Ducks was introduced in the UK, until they were all gone. It was estimated that the cost of shooting a Ruddy Duck was significantly more than buying them an airline ticket to get back to the USA. I miss the Ruddy Ducks - no longer a bluebeak on our loch to match the bluebells on its banks.

Would you like to swap your red squirrels for our greys? Thought not. I doubt that eventually you can stop them taking over without guns and poisoned food.

Nimrod103 wrote:The Spanish variety is invasive, is more vigorous and people are worried that it x breeds with the ‘English’ variety leading to the loss of the characteristic scent of bluebell woods. AIUI the Spanish variety has no perfume. The are easily identified by having broader bladed leaves and flowers all around the stem,rather than on one side. Their colour seems to be paler blue and often there are pink variations.
If they are Spanish, I recommend glyphosate.

Over flowered, over sexed, and over here?

Apparently some scientists are less worried now...

Fears that the British bluebell could go extinct are unfounded, say scientists.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48137471

UncleIan wrote:Fears that the British bluebell could go extinct are unfounded, say scientists.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48137471

And maybe if there is another re-think, perhaps our Ruddy Ducks will get a posthumous pardon

Nimrod103 wrote:Would you like to swap your red squirrels for our greys? Thought not. I doubt that eventually you can stop them taking over without guns and poisoned food.

Up in some marginal grey/red squirrel areas in Scotland, the reds seem to be winning. It has been suggested that the resurgence of the pine martin may be the cause - they find it easier to catch the greys, whereas the much lighter reds can escape to outer branches that the pine martins can't reach.
And just to make you jealous, here is a red on the nut feeder

What makes me jealous there is the mossy background. On the background of what looks like a healthy tree, it hints at a healthy place.

UncleEbenezer wrote:What makes me jealous there is the mossy background. On the background of what looks like a healthy tree, it hints at a healthy place.

Grantown on Spey.
Where my son was standing in the river last weekend with snow falling all around - hoping for a salmon to take his fly. Two Norwegian visiting anglers gave up the unequal struggle - claiming it was far too cold. But then my son's mother comes from Caithness, and a wee bit of snow would never have put her father off from Salmon fishing in the local river. So the appropriate genes are in place.

I stayed on Brownsea Island last year, warmer than Scotland I dare say, and saw a fair few red squirrels, though while we're talking native species (or not), also plenty of peacocks begging for food.

My bluebells are definitely the Spanish variety. I have sorted that out through the wildlifetrust site kindly provided by Scotia. They really area menace.

Dod

Dod101 wrote:My bluebells are definitely the Spanish variety. I have sorted that out through the wildlifetrust site kindly provided by Scotia. They really area menace.

Dod

Latest research says fears about the Spanish variety are unfounded:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48137471

Make up your own Brexit analogy

malkymoo wrote:

Dod101 wrote:My bluebells are definitely the Spanish variety. I have sorted that out through the wildlifetrust site kindly provided by Scotia. They really area menace.

Dod

Latest research says fears about the Spanish variety are unfounded:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48137471

Make up your own Brexit analogy

I have only read this BBC article reporting the work of the experts, but I don't find the wording used at all convincing:

Fears that the British bluebell could go extinct are unfounded, say scientists. The introduced Spanish variety has lower fertility and is unlikely to wipe out the native plant, according to genetic tests.

Is it 'unfounded' or is it 'unlikely'?

My general view is that noxious plant introductions are very unlikely to ever be eradicated, and we just have to learn to love them. There seems AFAICS no determined plan to eradicate the worst ones of Japanese knotweed and Himalayan Balsam,