Wow--I am sorry for your bad luck. I know you are a highly experienced gardener but for all of us, a reminder never to compost this plant. Put it into a plastic trash bag and out to the curb.

As for its 'travels' far from the original plant, it is quite a traveler, as we all sadly know. But it's also possible to drop a tiny piece after we have pulled it...and you know how this story ends.

Mine is not gooseneck. My invasive weed seems to be like a Campanula. It is not exactly the Campanula rapunculoides that is known to be invasive, because the leaves look a little different, but it's close. It produces the same purple bell flowers, which I've not seen in years because I keep cutting it back and digging it out.

We've found an organic solution to problem weeds and over enthusiastic perennials. It even has even worked for us on thistles that were probably introduced to our beds with purchased topsoil and compost mix that was purchased by a truck load from a local landscaping co. We've been working on eliminating them for years and two applications of this takes care of them for us. The product is EcoBlend Organic Weed and Grass Burndown by Homs LLC. I first found it in a spray bottle on Amazon last year and decided to give it a try. It was wonderful from the very first spray and it has since only been sold at the Homs website. Now I see it's only sold in a 64 ounce jug that you mix with water to dilute, so it goes a long way. We just refill our original spray bottle after mixing. If the first spray doesn't do the job, the second one does!

Just thought I'd share....

Linda

PM2, based on my experience, no carpet unless it’s 100% biodegradable. The PO here put down old carpet in a couple gardens (along with tar paper in other beds), and so we had to pull up and remove heavy, wet, crumbling, mildewed old carpet, probably the most disgusting task I’ve ever done in my life. I still find tufts of old carpet when I am digging, 20years later. UGH! It makes me shudder just to remember it.

Linlily - Thanks for that recommendation. I found their website to see if they had a list of ingredients, but they don't. They just explain that it is made of fatty acids from vegetable oils. Might be worth a try.

Babs, Lucky I didn't have any then. [g]. I laid down cardboard over some in a bed we were redoing yesterday, which I'll just have to keep replacing. Sorry about your experience with the carpet. It does sound pretty awful. Oh the things we learn along the way.

You're welcome, prairiemoon2. It' so nice to run across something that really works as promised when you try it. I've looked around for an organic solution to getting rids of those painful thistles for years and I'm so glad to have found something. We've tried other things that we purchased at the local box store(s) and sometimes they've worked on weeds and unwanted plants that the birds planted with varying success. Then, the next year, I would be unable to even find a bottle to buy.

I have a friend who was given some gooseneck after a visit with a local teacher who we both had in high school. Not exactly a gift, as she found out. After doing some research on the plant, I told her how invasive it would be and she had her work cut out for her the next season when trying to remove all of it. She had planted it in an island bed that was lined with heavy landscaping fabric. The roots became entangled in it as well as starting to run throughout the bed. I remember watching her dig and sift and dig and sift, removing every single piece of tiny white root she could find. She was successful and probably the sooner you remove the plant after you've planted it, the better your chances of ridding yourself of this thug. This year, for me, it's Bouncing Bet that has taken over a sizable area of a perennial bed. I thought I had gotten rid of most of it, but it's back again and there is so much more of it. It's a shame that such a pretty plant - in color and fragrance can be such a problem!

My gooseneck has taken over two HUGE beds at my house. The previous owners did little with the landscape, and I have been slowly plodding away all spring trying to dig it up, but it feels like an impossible job for one person. There is so much that I could work on it every day for the entire summer and still not be able to dig it all up. Has anyone tried the EcoBlend turndown by Hon? If so, how did it go?

Round-up put a quick end to mine...just sayin.

Is this what gooseneck looks like?

I wonder if you couldn't mow it down to the ground, cover it with thick layers of cardboard and mulch over it? You can usually find people offering moving boxes on Freecycle and get a lot of cardboard that way. It would be a much easier job then trying to pull it all. Then don't water it all season either. I have never had this particular plant, but it might be worth a try, since it would be so much easier and faster.

@prairiemoon2 z6 MA- yes, that’s it. Lovely, but EVIL!

@stevepa- i hear you. I’m about to break down and use Round Up. I hate Monsanto more than the gooseneck loosestrife, but just yesterday I noticed that it’s starting to spread to my other— formerly untainted beds.

Yes, prairiemoon, that's gooseneck loosestrife and that pretty flower is what leads so many of us into its tentacles. Lysimachia clethroides is the botanical name. There are other lysimachias that are not so aggressive.

I would not hesitate to use Round-Up except that gooseneck loosestrife is often mixed with other perennials. I avoid chemicals except in the most dire situation. Right now, I'm clearing some poison ivy the birds planted in a large pachysandra planting and it is not easy.

I made a cardboard tray with no sides and cut a one inch slit about 6" long on one side. I slide a poison ivy leaf cluster into the slit and then paint the leaves with Round-Up with a small foam paint brush. I use absorbent cardboard so the Round Up does not drip off into the pachysandra. I haven't killed it all but am making some progress. The cut stem system did not work for me or I was impatient.

I have dedicated poison ivy rubber gloves and other equipment I keep separate from all my other garden stuff.

Ginny - we have a ton of poison ivy that comes into the yard every year. We have a neighbor who never gets rid of his and never steps into his yard, and it comes under our fence. And the birds drop it as well. My husband usually puts on gloves and pulls it and bags it and throws it out, but we haven't done it yet this year. My husband uses disposable gloves and pulls it w/o tools and puts the whole thing folded up into a plastic bag. That seems to work for us.

White Flower Farm used to recommend planting it with Monarda as in their experience they could compete with each other. They are in CT, so maybe that advice doesn't work for all area. You must be warmer than us. It is here, but it's not THAT invasive. It's aggressive, but not so out of control that it's still there after years. (At least, I don't think so.) My patch from last year hasn't expanded much, but we did have quite a brutal winter. It's going to be moved to an isolated "thug" bed where it's free to duke it out in old tired soil with zero extra fertilizer or love. It and the English Ivy, Jerusalem Artichoke, Monarda, and Montauk Daisy, to name a few.

Ginny, then I’m counting my blessings that my patch didn’t expand this winter! Does it match goutweed?

I think gooseneck loosestrife is worse as it travels underground so far from where it was planted. But I'd like to hear others' experiences. Goutweed is definitely a challenger!

Ahhh, gooseneck loosestrife!! Such a problem child -- its beauty in bloom is the only reason some of us keep it around. (Of course, it stays because it's nearly impossible to eradicate, lol)

That said, it has amazing qualities of self-preservation and proliferation. Many years ago, I stupidly transplanted some below a stone retaining wall -- it promptly found a way to send runners up under the wall, where it is happily romping among a fairy rose, some daylilies, shasta daisies and other plants. I yank what I can, when I can, but it will always be with me, I'm afraid.

At one time, I did try the dig-and-sift method. That worked -- for about ten minutes. That particular area is now rampant with the stuff, held at bay by a couple of old giant hostas. As it is a garden bed far from the main yard, I ignore it.

I swear that gooseneck loosestrife and cockroaches will inherit the Earth eventually.

Silly people, (meant nicely). Gooseneck can’t be eradicated! I found this site in desperation of some advice! Going on year 5 of trying to eradicate. It doesn’t care if it is dried out, it keeps on going. I got some from my daughters mother-in-law and put it in 4 different places because it was “so pretty”. I feel encouraged by LinLily’s suggestion of the Eco Blend, just ordered it. First new suggestion I’ve heard, anxious to try it. Thank you, thank you!

We are still battling thistles here. My husband has done lots of research on it. This may be an idea to try on Gooseneck, as well as using the Eco Blend from Homs. The thistles are called Canadian Thistles and one article said to constantly cut down to the ground any stems that grow to keep it from blooming and keep the leaves that feed the root systems cut off. According to the writer, it will eventually starve from lack of nutrition. They mentioned it might take a few years for this to work. May be interesting to try it on the Gooseneck if you have a small patch to see if it works. Anything is worth a try to eradicate the plant/weed pests.

We live close to a 4 lane interstate as the crow flies. Areas around the highway are filled with thistles and seeds are constantly blowing in the wind. Some are headed our way. It looks like we may be constantly trying to rid our area of these pests!

Thank you everyone for so many good suggestions re getting rid of the outrageously impossible gooseneck. While I was away a friend planted it in my garden thinking she was doing a Favor! Each year I'm pulling it out of course...I will also try the Eco Blend as can't bear to use Round Up after protesting so long against Glypgosate!!

Oh no! With friends like that, who needs enemies? :) Good luck getting rid of it. We did, eventually, by constant pulling over several years so it can be done.

any updates on the EcoBlend?? I just ordered some - fingers crossed!!

We are still using the EcoBlend and it works well for us. Sometimes it takes a couple of sprays to get rid of stubborn weeds, such as dandelions. And we are still working on getting rid of the thistles I mentioned above. They are pretty much out of the beds around the house, but still in an all daylily bed in the back yard. Let us know how EcoBlend works for you!

I bought loosestrife from a native nursery in SC, and in my heavily shaded yard it did not seem to spread. I brought it with me to NY and replanted in a full sun bed. The first year it was beautiful; the second year it had multiplied 10 fold. I had to remove many plants from the bed and dig down at least 2-3 feet to get the roots out. I did that three times that year, but it kept popping up. I finally used a small paintbrush and dabbed every little sprout with Roundup. I did that for about a month and I finally killed it all. I don't like using Roundup, but I find that using a paintbrush I can paint it on poison ivy leaves and it kills that too.

I have a friend who told me to do this years ago, but I was always afraid due to outdoor animals. Then learned, from gardengal (I think) that once it’s dry, it’s not toxic. Good to know.

debra

I would probably use a broadleaf herbicide containing trichlopyr or amipyrolids. I do believe that chemicals have a place in gardening (I would lose my potatoes and tomatoes every year to phytopthera without copper sulphate) but, do it right and you will only need to do it once. I use the 'sock of death' - an old sock I put over my gardening gloves and target precise weeds (as opposed to spraying willy-nilly. I find this to be less distressing than endlessly digging and rootling about (which resulted in more than a couple of my roses sprouting rootstock). It is always a source of irritation to me, that there is no UK equivalent to 'Grass-B-Gone, since couch grass is one of my most hateful and troublesome weed.

I wonder if you have one of the adenophoras, Prairie? Like c.rapunculoides, (which one of my customers has), a couple of adenophoras are notable garden bullies. I have adenophora 'Gaudi Violet' which I planted 3 years ago with some trepidation, but so far, it has remained mannerly.

Well, it's I2 years later and I am STILL digging it out of my gardens! It definitely has gotten better, but it's a yearly chore and at this point I'm not hopeful it will ever be gone. The newer shoots are easier to dig out, but miss a season and they go deep. And if the ground is dry, forget it. After reading Susan's post, maybe it's time to try the roundup again. I absolutely hate using it, but I'm getting older & this yearly digging is insane. I'm trying to plant native & let things go wild, but impossible with the gooseneck in the beds. Good luck to all of you fighting this plant - I can't believe it's still sold everywhere.

LOL!! Reading this very old thread as made me chuckle!! Am I the only person on the planet that loves this plant? I have it in a raised bed that keeps it fairly well contained and I do dig down every spring and remove any shoots that want to explore beyond their designated space. 5 years so far and still under moderately good control.

It is still sold because although it can be an aggressive spreader, it is not considered an invasive species anywhere in the US and its flowers are highly desirable in the cut flower trade. Aggressive spreading is not sufficient grounds to ban a plant from sale otherwise we would be missing a great many common groundcovers, Jerusalem artichokes, plume poppies, trumpet vine, Liriope spicata, lily of the valley and a whole host of other very popular garden plants.

LOL! I'm sure there are other gooseneck lovers out there, but I'm not one of them. I wrote this original post 12 years ago, but have had it in my garden for over 20 and it's still hanging in. Maybe it's easier to contain in a raised bed, but I am tired of digging out roots & shoots. I didn't say to ban the plant - I said I can't believe it's still being sold. My frustration speaking.

But I am surprised, it's still so readily available, especially as more and more gardeners are turning to native plants. As for the groundcovers you mentioned, I'm still digging out trumpet vine too, lol.

Am I the only person on the planet that loves this plant?

Count me a "lover" ;).

Actually I tried once previously to grow it but low and behold it did not survive the winter...weird.

In fact by coincidence I am planning to plant it again.

Believe it or not, after the Spigelia, gooseneck loosestrife is probably my favorite perennial and it has such a long bloom season. Any plant that will grow in sun or shade, damp or dry soil and with a good 8 weeks of flowers rates high in my book!

LOL, I also planted it once, with trepidation, and it did me a favour I guess, by dying, just like yours, Rouge. And for all you people with problems, I just found this: ”The Royal Horticultural Society has given Lysimachia clethroides their prestigious Award of Garden Merit in 1993”.

I will now go back outside to try and get rid of my Adenophora. 25 years and counting…

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) .what type of conditions is your Spigelia loving?

I read this entire post and laughed out loud when i saw your 12 year update! I’m on 3 years of fighting it and no amount of pulling or cardboard has helped! Someday I might have to consider removing all of the dirt from that bed and replacing it with new dirt.

Still using EcoBlend and it's worth every penny is costs. Now I'm fighting Lady Bells. It hard for me to believe that they have gotten into clumps of daylilies, Lupines, and other plants. These plants are not even in the same bed. Maybe the birds spread the seed when they bloomed some years ago??? But we continue to work to get rid of them and thistles, of course.

I just looked up EcoBlend and unfortunately they do not list their ingredients. Their label says ingredients are "generally recognized as safe". Claim it is a proprietary blend, so therefore they aren't going to tell you what is in it.

I just got this info off the label of EcoBlend sold at Seven Springs Farm Supply:

EcoBlend Organic Weed and Grass Burndown OMRI Listed for Organic Use

For use in Agricultural Crops, Residential, Aquatic,Industrial

Made with Non-GMO and Edible Oils and Food Grade Ingredients

Breaks down plant mass into Beneficial Soil Nutrients

Active Ingredients:

Soybean Oil (Organic) 20%

Other Ingredients 80%

Other Ingredients are Water, Soap, Organic Coconut Oil, Citric Acid

A non-selective, post-emergent herbicide that is safe around food and non-food crops, children, pets and is made from biodegradable, food-grade ingredients.

Thank you....

Welcome!

I thought of this thread as I planted a clump of it in a container yesterday :).

Samantha - I too, thought of just redoing all of the entire beds, but I knew it would still be lurking there, just waiting for me to take a breath before it sprang back up! Pulling did not work at all for me in the beginning- I had huge areas that were just covered with it. Digging deeply and repeatedly throughout a couple of seasons did help manage/weaken it. (I've come to believe I will never eradicate it). If you do pull, try to follow the roots back to the mother plant - there's usually one huge one that sends out all the runners. The new shoots that come up will be easier and closer to the surface. But try not to miss a season - they're like little Gremlins & will spread & grow stronger if you turn your back on them :)

Linlily, I think I might try the Eco Blend. I've decided not to use the round-up. In good conscious, I just can't, with all the wildlife we have around here. Thanks for something else to try.

And rouge21 - container growing is the way to go - just don't let the little buggers root from the bottom of your container or crawl over the side, lol.

I have never managed to grow a single loosestrife (grief knows I have tried, especially with .purpurea and ephemerum) but they have always been a step too far with a combo of sandy, stony soil in one of the driest parts of the UK.

Today I visited a friend who has an incredible garden and there is one section that she has allocated to our "friend" ;)

I just read this whole thread and shook my head. THere is a reason I don't plant anything until I read about it at the Dave's Garden site. Any plant that spreads by deep runners is not a plant I want anything to do with. It's bad enough that I have ground cherry which cannot be eradicated.

Wow... I have a large crop of gooseneck growing in the front yard.. pretty while I'm bloom..

But. Yikes. Glad to find this thread full of interesting comments and ideas. 

I was hoping to contain it with a boarder.. we will see. Less yard to mow.. 😂

And rouge21 - container growing is the way to go - just don't let the little buggers root from the bottom of your container or crawl over the side, lol.

So I put it in a too small pot and placed it in area with not enough sun back in md May or so.

In fact I mostly forgot about it come August as plants around it in the ground basically covered it up :(. I "discovered" it last week and pulled it out of the garden to soon dispose of it...somehow.

LOL!! And here am I sitting contemplating digging up a chunk of "outrageously impossible gooseneck" to take to my new garden!! And before all those GL haters freak out, the garden will be ALL in containers. Except for a very small area of groundcovers surrounding and in between the paver walkway.

It's a very tiny garden - only 850 sqft. And a big chunk of that is take up by the deck.

Exciting days ahead for you @gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)!

More stressful than exciting, tbh. There is SO much to do and I hate moving. Why do we keep so much stuff??? The next big move will be feet first :-))

I just wish it was the end of October and all the kerfuffle was over........

There is SO much to do and I hate moving.

I understand completely and sympathize. We accumulate so much stuff the longer we stay in one place and for me it takes a move to force us to drastically purge. Good luck 'gg'.