I think your only two options are digging them out and herbicide. The problem with digging is that it is a huge area and if you leave pieces of it in the ground, those pieces will grow again. The problem with herbicide is that you can over spray and kill some of your grass.

One approach to try is to cut it down with a lawn mower and then spray when it sends up a bit of new growth; that way you will have a more controlled/defined area to spray.

Even so, I am not sure the herbicide will take it all out the first year as these are tuberous plants and may not die completely in the first attempt.

Offer them up as free - "u-dig" on freecycle or craigslist or something like that.

Or mow them over. Eventually without anything feeding the root I'd think that they would die... and with the grass over running them anyway, then it should fill in nicely as they die out.

If you decide to do the herbicide, I'd recommend a paintbrush and painting the leaves with it.... we kill out the wild blackberries that thread through the garden that way. Without harming the nearby plants. Still.... it's not my favorite method.

But.... I like lilies.... even the ditch lilies. =0) *L*

Mil
momto6

I am totally surprised that your ditch lilies appear contained neatly in the area they were planted. Our's multiply like crazy, and I have to dig them every year since they spread outside the areas where I left them planted. They came with the house when we bought it :~). They are pretty for only a short time, and the foliage gets ragged looking without rain so I understand wanting to get rid of them. My experience is once they are established, it is very difficult to completely remove them. Similar to liriope.

Listing on freecycle is a good idea. Some people want them to use for erosion control. I have shared them with friends for that purpose.

Ronnie

Where in Ga are you??
I have a home in Valdosta, and in Jax, and.... there are a few places on my property where I can use some color.. and I kinda like ditch lilies...lol..

Athena

If you keep mowing over them long enough, they should die anyway.

Please anyone out there, will gladly pay postage for "ditch" or tiger lillies you want rid of. My midwestern grandmother had big orange lillies growing all over her property and we loved them, they were great, bloomed all summer long. Some had speckles, some not. Having trouble finding them in Salt Lake Utah. Please contact Pat
flitter2454@msn.com seriously! I want them!

They are excellent ground cover for shady areas under trees etc.
And they are not invasive at all. They spread by inches per year and
pack as they do.
What is more, they are evergreens and lush year round.
If I were the OP, I would pull them up by clumps(after a good soak) and
transplant them on outer edges, between the trees and the grass.

While back there was somebody on this forum looking for ground cover for sloped area ???
And another oerson looking for pachysandra??
Here you have the best opportunity, fellows, grab it.

What is more, they are evergreens and lush year round.

They are not evergreen in the Atlanta area.