How do you get rid of Spanish bluebells and can you grow anything else in the space you attempt to vacate them from?

[Pianopiece]

On the back of another thread. We have a big clump. Tackling them this year but somebody on another thread said they’ll be back. Is there any way to eradicate them without chemicals?Can I grow anything in the space.If I dig out the whole clump, what will re growth be like?

I had a large clump, dug them out to the point of sieving the soil to try and get even the smallest bulbs, and now have multiple large clumps... Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

My Aunt tried to get rid of them for 25 years.

Wondering about putting something else in the space I clear to keep re growth down but don’t want to waste money if it would be doomed.. Ideally an attractive shrub

Looking online hardy geraniums and Brunnera can compete successfully but I’m not sure about the accuracy of that as my Brunnera is sparse in that area compared to elsewhere.

I have a garden full of spanish bluebells and hardy geraniums. The bluebells are winning. The only thing that outcompetes them are shrubs or other very vigorous things like a patch of Lysimachia punctata and crocosmia.

I think part of it is getting them out before they seed? I am too late this year.

I just keep at them digging them out and don’t let them seed …. It helps but it hasn’t got rid of them.

I have successfully nearly eradicated crocosmia- don’t want that back!

I have crocosmia that reappears too. It’s like that, just pull it as soon as it sprouts. You don’t get to retire, you have to keep on top of it. But it’s really easy after the first year, but don’t have a year off!

So are Spanish bluebells like that? Ie if I do a deep clearance this year is it just a case of pulling up one or two there after and would anything else survive in the space left?

It’s really difficult to dig up the babies as they are teeny tiny! I carry on digging them up to keep them under control knowing I won’t be able to eradicate them.

Prepare for a multi year project with the goal of reduction rather than elimination.

I'm in year 2 - all you can do is dig them up, or at least repeatedly cut down the leaves to exhaust the bulbs. It is definitely not just managing 1 or 2 the following year😂

There were definitely fewer this year, some that I thought were impossible to dig up did get dug up this year. Very important to get it done before the flowers have a chance to seed.

You can grow whatever you like in the space left behind but you might find yourself digging it up to get more bluebells out the following year.

I’ve got a large rabbits/lambs ear plant, can’t remember the proper name. It’s good at squashing everything else, and you want to pull a bit up anyway so it doesn’t matter if you need to for the bluebells!
That elephant’s ear, similar.

This thread is worrying me. I spent days digging all mine out in February, thought it was done and dusted. Now I find out they’re going to come back!!

I was on that other thread OP. I'm still fighting them every year - which reminds me, I need to go and tackle them yet again!

Try and get as many out as possible, and if you want something else there you could have summer bedding, then pansies over the winter. Then when they come up again next year, you aren't having to dig up any other perennials or shrubs to get at them. Mine are all around and under a small tree, and I just cannot get all of them out because of the tree roots. I can't use weedkiller either.

I dug out loads a few years ago, but this year I seem to have more than ever. I’m going to tackle them again now as they are still flowering . Not sure what to plant in their place though.

I moved into a garden with a lot of them (it is a smaller urban garden).
Just pull them up including the bulbs.
You can clear a ton of them at once. Then they will still pop up here and there and you pull them up when you see them.
After a couple of years they will be a manageable weed popping up sometimes.

Reading other replies, it might be a garden size issue re. How much of a pain it's going to be!

Tell me about it.
The lady who owned the house before me seemed to fill the garden with every plant thug going.

I cleared two areas in my garden

It's taken 4 -5 years and is kind of a war of attrition.
Tbh the place was filled with thug plants...alkanet ivy spanish bluebells
I didn't choose thug life etc.

I let them flower but remove them from the soil before seed to "steal their energy". I then sieve the soil annually.
mine have been here yonks I know this as when I started half the bulbs were the size of eggs 😅

I've left the big lot at the back as they look cool and keep the weeds down

I thought I'd got rid of them last year and had tulips in the space and no bluebells. This year, planted tulip bulbs and all were swamped by a mass of bluebells. Have pulled them all up again and cross fingers...

I've been pulling them out for 11 years and still they keep coming. It's never ending I'm afraid. 😫

If it’s any comfort I was able to get rid of Spanish bluebells in a small london clay garden in 2 years - year 1 was the big removal and a few stragglers year 2. I smothered the area with hardy geraniums

That sounds positive. Did the big removal today. Then thinking of growing a honeysuckle over some of the area and some hardy geraniums. My Astrantia seems to see them off so maybe some of those too.

I'm just going for pulling them when they appear and hoping it eventually weakens them. I'm establishing native bluebells so trying to avoid cross pollination.

They are winning in my garden. Very heavy clay soil and I can't seem to get the roots out. Last year I was ill and did minimal gardening. This year they have popped up in new places all over the garden