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Help! Infested with green alkanet/evergreen bugloss/alkanet - how do I get rid off it?

6 replies

MothershipG · 27/04/2014 21:49

Here's a link so you can see a picture

Nasty invasive stuff with a long tap root that is impossible to completely remove and fine spiky hairs that go right through my gardening gloves.

It's all over my garden, in between plants I want. How can I get rid of it?

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Mushypeasandchipstogo · 28/04/2014 08:27

Spray systemic weed killer on the leaves whilst it is growing. You might need to do this a couple of times over the next few weeks. Dig up and burn plants once they have obviously died.

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Ferguson · 06/05/2014 18:32

I'd never heard of it getting into gardens as a 'weed', and I have always enjoyed seeing it in hedgerows! We paint our weed killer on mixed into cheap wallpaper paste, as you can control where it goes. We find that works well on bindweed and dandelions.

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Bearleigh · 06/05/2014 21:28

They have amazingly long tap roots, so get the seedlings now before they take root, and they pull out easily. You can dig up those that are a year or so old with a trowel but may need to use weed killer like Roundup on the very old ones.

I haven't used weed killer and am gradually getting rid by pulling and digging regularly. The danger is to think the flowers are pretty - be ruthless especially at this time of year.

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MothershipG · 06/05/2014 21:32

Thanks all.

Ferguson great tip! It's coming up in the middle of plants I want so I think I will have to give your method a go.

Are weed killers like roundup safe to use around dogs?

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Fishandjam · 06/05/2014 21:34

We had that in a previous garden. Bastarding stuff. The ones I couldn't dig out I ended up painting with glyphosate mixed with watered down PVA glue. It shifted eventually but it took a while.

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MrsUltracrepidarian · 28/05/2015 18:15

Interesting - I've been trying to find out what this is!
Loads of it when we moved in 20 years ago, and I didn't like it and managed by endless digging and glyphosating to get rid.
Anyway, recently I saw it in hedgerow, and as my garden is a bit bare was trying to fin out what it was to repopulate, but maybe not such a great idea..

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