Please identify this!

[theothersideoftheworld]

It's really thick along my fence line. I'd like to dig it up and plant something in its place. Can anyone tell me what it is and any ideas what I can put in its place? Thank you.

[AlternativeTentacle]

Buddlejia, bluebells and sticky willy.

What sort of thing do you want? Ground cover? It will take alot of digging to get bluebells up. I personally would get up what you can and pop some sweet woodruff in, which will spread and cover all the ground up in a couple of years.

[theothersideoftheworld]

Great thanks. The blue bells never seem to flower, it just looks untidy so I'd like something a bit more easy on the eye and something that might flower a bit?

[Enb76]

You'll never get rid of the bluebells but you can control them - I dig them up as soon as they have enough leaf to haul them out and I still get the buggers though few every year. Dig them up, try and get all the bulbs, even the teensy tiny ones.

Does your fence line get sun or is it mostly shady? If shady I might go with something like Gallium Odoratum (sweet woodruff).

[gettinfedduppathis]

If they are bluebells, then try and find out whether they are English bluebells as they are a protected species, so maybe leave those. If they're the Spanish variety, then dig away!

[daisychain01]

I like bluebells in a woodland area where you can see a massive expanse of blue haze. Trouble with having them in a garden is they dont have tge same effect, they self seed like crazy and look very messy after 2 years. Also the foliage goes all flat with the flowers sticking up so look a bit naff

[theothersideoftheworld]

My garden is big but north facing so the fence line does get some sun but only for short periods during the day. I've never seen a bluebell in amongst all the leaves etc but I would like them gone!!

[theothersideoftheworld]

From my little bit of research I think they are Italian bluebells.