Monday 7 June 2010

beautiful spires, hateful corn spurrey



I love it when the tall spires start appearing, we're doing a huge party this weekend where eremurus, delphiniums and thatching stooks are going to feature highly - as well as 6 hanging globes, 4 long garlands etc etc. It's going to be a few very long days but I'm sure it will look lovely on the day - we've got veronicas, astrantias, iris, stocks, larkspur, cornflower, sweet wills, alliums, camassia, libertias, bistorts, baptisia...to name a few

Does any know how to get rid of corn spurrey? I am getting really worried about it here. As some people know, it's a weed that came in here originally with green manure phacelia seed from the Organic company. I know it came with the seed, it was totally obvious, it just appeared in two perfect pillowy white patches under the phacelia originally. Now it is everywhere and I'm concerned it is spreading into neighbouring land which is dreadful as it is NOT a local weed so I am introducing this horrible defiant impostor.

Apart from that, it means here: I can't use any of our fabulous compost as it is all infected with corn spurrey seed.
Every week it takes at least two people a whole day each to clear one patch from the gardens, if I could afford it I'd have twenty people here for a day and we just might just about do it, otherwise it is a losing battle as I need labour for other things than only corn spurreying.
I can't sow any annuals direct into most areas now because the corn spurrey germinates faster than the desired seeds and smothers them.

So it costs me time, money and a hell of a headache.

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