Get Control of Invasive Lily of the Valley
These beautiful little flowers can easily take over your garden. Now is the time to get control of lily of the valley before it overtakes your world.
Beautiful, delicate, yet invasive and aggressive, lily of the valley can quickly take over a garden area.
This area of my garden had become overrun with lily of the valley (and violets - but more on that another time). It was time to gain control and let the shrubs and other plants breathe. Hidden in here is a gorgeous pink hydrangea, a "samba" elderberry and an old euyonymous.
Lily of the valley grow on rhizomes and are surrounded by a mass of small roots. Start by pulling the leaves and rhizomes from the ground.
Then get out the garden fork to lift the roots. You may also need to cut away sections of the root system from the main plant.
You can see how complex the root system is. If you don't take this step to get the roots out, you will be faced with more plants next year.
After an hour and a half, a wheelbarrow full of roots and leaves and one very sore back, this area is actually looking like a garden again.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 94 comments
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I have Lily of Valley in my one garden spot, they get sun and shade, and I can't get rid of them. They keep coming back. I live in the lower Midwest, near OK and it gets very hot and humid here in the summer. I will try and dig them up and put them in a pot and see how they do. If they do as well in a pot as the ground I will be over whelmed again.
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Canada. This is not a problem in Northern Alberta. I have to keep buying more as in six years they havent spread and I want to fill the area under my stairs and near my electric meter.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Can you isolate lily of the valley somehow? How does it do in a container?
I will like to have some Lily of the Valley. Where?
Do they grow in sun or shade?