Whenever I look at the Ipheion that has taken over large spots in the front yard, a sick feeling comes over me (literally). I planted 2 or 3 bulbs here and there about 10 years ago, and that has turned out to be one of the biggest gardening mistakes I've ever made. As plants they are cute and the flowers are pretty. But, they spread through our rich soil like wild fire. A few years ago I dug a few HUNDRED of these bulbs out of a small area about 12x12" (I wish I took a photo so you could believe how many I put in the trash). I even sifted them from the soil using 1/4" screen so some tiny babies must have fallen through or I missed them in the hole. In the "right" conditions (depending on how you view that), these bulbs spread like highly malignant cancerous tumors.

Other than digging, spraying with Round-Up (I hate spraying, really...), and pouring boiling water over them, we haven't tried anything else. Hubby suggested a different type of herbicide, and I've considered mowing the leaves or hoeing them to the ground as soon as they pop up in hopes that the lack of leaves will starve the bulbs. But they come up between plants and between the roots of plants such as Agapanthus.

I hate the sight of them so I am trying the mental, "whatever" approach and looking the other way. I work full time and do other things besides garden so I do not want to devote hours or days to ridding the garden of this pest only to see it return.

How do you cope with plants like this? Do you try your best and then say "oh well"? Do you bring out the herbicide "big guns" and spray without mercy and figure whatever else dies with them can always be replaced? As I said I hate spraying so I prefer that as a last resort. It just seems like there's got to be something I could try that isn't lethal or backbreaking and that actually works.....

So pretty, so sweet......

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.... so hideously invasive!!! I planted maybe 3 in a tiny hole somewhere in this area. The big grassy clump on the left is Agapanthus, in which the Ipheion are encroaching...

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The spot on the right is the patch I removed, or so I thought...

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I didn't plant any in this spot!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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