Ugh few questions, if you don't mind

Happy2BeMe

I am cleaning up the mess of a garden from previous owners. They planted Lily of the Valley and Peppermint and chocolate mint, all of which have scatter-invaded my garden. I didn't know about the Lily of the Valley until this year, as we moved in last June and they were cleaned up when we looked at the house and decided to purchase.

So, when my MIL moved and I was able to take a tons of plants, I planted without that knowledge, this was in August. 

Is it going to be too hard on the perennials that I want if I have to move them this spring after I get majority of the Lily of the Valleys and mints cleaned up?

Part of the reason I ask is I planted a dying hydrangea last summer that my neighbor gave us, and it's a little close to the main source of LoVs and so I wanted to move it to a more permanent home before I spray the round-up to kill over in that area.

 

Thanks so much in advance! You ladies are so awesome.

Hey Jellisy

Have you thought about hand digging up the mint and LoV?  You wouldn't have to worry about getting RoundUp on something you want to keep and you will have more immediate results and better control over what you remove.  Admittedly, I'll do a lot to not support Monsanto.  I know it is a bit more work, but I think you will find that once you hand remove the plants and roots they will be less likely to return.      

TarHeels&Rebels

I'd leave the hydrangea (and probably everything else) be til the fall so you don't interrupt this season's blooms or stress it before summer heat.

I don't know where you are in the country, but it's 85 every day here - "spring" ended weeks ago lol - and it's way too late to be transplanting hydrangeas.  They're also just about to start blooming here. 

Happy2BeMe

We tried starting to just dig, but it's too much, and not coming up well. Here, it is barely spring (MN) we even just had a few more days of frost.

skiergrl

I'd just dig it up too.  We have a large section that is invaded with mint maybe 8x12 I'm digging it up slowly.  There is no way I could spray Roundup in that area without killing the rose bushes and perennials in the garden area.  Plus, I hate the idea of spraying that large of an area.

I'd be really careful with the Roundup. I made the mistake of using it last year to kill some weeds even though I was really careful (I used the cotton glove method to just get the Roundup on the leaves of the bindweed) it still killed two columbine and some phlox.  The best part is the bindweed is still around.  Mint and LOTV are so hardy I wouldn't be surprised if they survived a run in with Roundup either. 

 Moving the plants twice in one year can be really hard on them.  I wouldn't expect many of them to bloom this year, but you never know.   Good luck!

strangebird

Spraying Round Up is a very bad idea. It can leach into your soil and cause huge areas of your yard to die. You might have difficulty getting any plants to go grow in areas anywhere near the sprayed area. Not to mention, Lily of the Valley is native to your area and extremely hardy. It might survive the Round Up, even if nothing else in your yard did--then where would you be?

Lily of the Valley can easily be dug up, or, alternatively, it can be contained to a limited area by sinking landscaping border or bricks in the soil about four-inches deep. You'll still get a few "jumpers" every now and then, but those will be easy to pull out.

~NB~

strangebird:

Spraying Round Up is a very bad idea. It can leach into your soil and cause huge areas of your yard to die. You might have difficulty getting any plants to go grow in areas anywhere near the sprayed area.

WRONG!

Roundup has NO SOIL ACTIVITY and no residual soil activity. It will not leach. It MUST directly contact plant tissue to effect the plant.

You can replant an area 24 hours after spraying. EVEN FOOD CROPS.