Just noticed a new plant in the yard. Upon brief research, it seems to be a European plant, Grape Hyacinth according to the Plantnetapp. However I know not all non-natives are necessarily invasive and may not be worth the hassle.
But I'm leaning towards pulling in
by yogurtchild55
9 Comments
https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=6061
There are many grape hyacinths in our yard. Debbie did a wonderful job planting them, and boy did they spread over the decades. Critters will dig them up and spread them. They’re a nuisance to weed because they’ve got a big bulb that can spawn tiny bulbs, so if you just try to tug it out, the bulb will remain and you’re wasting your time. The small bulbs can splinter off the big bulb and be left behind, so it will likely be a multi-year endeavor if you have a bunch like me.
I would just start pulling. Plan on making it your spring activity for the next 3-5 years. Wait til after it rains so the ground is softer, if possible.
I think they’re pretty enough that you wait til after their blooming cycle before you start pulling. They smell nice and bees like em. Definitely a spring flower, you’ll want to pull them after their petals drop.
These aren’t a priority for removal for me — they do spread, but in my experience not very quickly. I’d rather spend my limited invasives-removal time on the real pernicious stuff.
They pop up all over where I live, and I always find a few that I either missed or got transplanted by animals the previous year. I don’t know if they’re on any official lists, but I consider them an invasive plant. I use a hori hori and dig them out, since I can’t pull them with the soil type I have, then either put them in the trash bin or the “invasives kill bucket” I have (just a dark-colored 5-gallon bucket with a tight lid that I leave in the sun until the contents are safe to dump).
They’re not as aggressive as celandine or bluebells. It’s been fairly easy for me to confine them to places I want them and pull them out elsewhere.
These popped up all over my yard today. I’m in the middle of taking out a bunch of honeysuckle and mulberry at the moment but I’ll probably make this a “pull as I go” type situation where anytime I’m outside I’ll start trying to get rid of them. But other stuff is taking priority.
Dig them up, pulling will leave bulbs. Each year i dig a clump up and it’s less than the year prior. They aren’t native.