Weeding Out Bulbs

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One of my least favourite tasks is weeding out noxious bulbs. They can all look quite similar at this time of the year, for instance English native and Spanish bluebells. As the soil is still rather wet and the perennials have only just started to make growth it makes locating them quite easy.
GET ON WITH IT -
This is me with my tool bag (which OH bought me so I don’t mislay my tools and he put red insulation tape around the handles so when I leave them on the ground they should be easier to locate.). ((For Simbad))

My most favourite tool is my mini fork, bought for me by my mother in the sixties (with its companion trowel, which I hardly ever use). Wilkinson Sword – made to last, although the left prong has worn down a bit over the years. OH replaced the handle because it spent a year in the pond after I lost it.

Allium triquetrum, 3 cornered Garlic, which I foolishly introduced and am still finding the odd bulb. Lower plant.
Allium vineale is a real pig to eradicate as it makes tiny new bulbs each year. I have no idea how it got into the garden originally.

Another I foolishly introduced, Ranunculus ficaria “Brazen Hussy”, after reading Christopher Lloyd rave about its black leaves!

Arum italicum, Lords and Ladies seeds probably brought in by the birds.

Chives mixed deliberately in the flower border. These I want for culinary purposes, but they do look like the above Alliums.

Luckily all these onions are edible, unlike the Bluebells (pictured below, which are poisonous.)
Pis en Lit tool, which I bought in France. The French use them for taking off the leaves of Dandelions, which they add to salads. Providing you push it below the offending bulb, you can ease it out from a confined space.

(I am diverted in France) I bought several ‘whirligigs’ (tomato supports) in France. Put them in the ground, turn the spiral and they support tall herbaceous perennials superbly.

On the subject of heritage garden equipment. Photo of the wheel barrows belonging to Queen Victoria’s 9 children at Osbourne, house Isle of Wight. Each has the child’s initial with the prefix P. or Pss.

Ps. I scrub up like a Pss. occasionally!!!

2 Mar, 2015
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Comments

Siris

Thanks Homebird, OH says the tool belt came from Asda £1 (at gardening season time), but as you say you have to put the tools back into it.

2 Mar, 2015

Simbad

Lol yep I need one of those belts Siris plus the tape and maybe stretchy elastic too !!!
We were looking just the other day at our local antique centre they had some great gardening tools good quality and cheap too, when I need any new ones I ll be looking there I think, made to last.

2 Mar, 2015

Andrewr

I'm trying to get rid of Brazen Hussey as well. Meanwhile, a well-known nursery and Chelsea Gold Medalist is selling it - hmmmm.

2 Mar, 2015

Steragram

What interesting tools you have Siris, especially those two little forked ones. I have lost some secs in the garden too - looked everywhere (except presumabley just where they are...) I finally tied a lenth of bright pink binder twine to my trowel so it finds it harder to hide from me.
Isn't that shedful of initialled wheelbarrows great? I wonder if the owners had to make sure they were clean before putting them away...

2 Mar, 2015

Siris

Steragram - And the wallpaper scissors, 2nd pair. Surprised not found the first pair yet. Better than my secateurs for cutting up limp green leaves.
Bet the princes and princesses had a goffer (go for this,go for that) to do the cleaning up afterwards.

3 Mar, 2015

Siris

You jest, Simbad, I was so distraught after losing my alpine trowel that when found and repaired Hubby put a hook eye on the end of the handle so I could clip on a length of cord. Not the cleverest of ideas, the cord wrapped itself around everything and the eye pressed into my hand.

Andrew - I do think it should say on the label - Buyer Beware - INVASIVE - not something benign like increases well!!!!!

3 Mar, 2015

Andrewr

Ah - the joys of interpreting what the labels mean. "Increases well", "good ground cover", "vigorous" - I treat them all with suspicion.

3 Mar, 2015

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