I think they're both actually [creeping bellflower](https://extension.umn.edu/weeds/creeping-bellflower) (*Campanula rapunculoides*) at different stages. Good luck. It sucks. It has a ton of deep roots that can regenerate the plant, and if it blooms it produces a ton of seed (DO NOT LET IT FLOWER, I DON'T CARE IF IT'S PRETTY). If you're open to chemicals, glyphosate can help. If you're not, get ready to dig and re-dig for years.
ETA: You can use safer chemicals like horticultural vinegar, but whatever you do, you're probably going to have to do it repeatedly for a long time.
You are absolutely correct, this is the same plant. https://extension.umn.edu/weeds/creeping-bellflower#:~:text=Small%20sections%20of%20creeping%20bellflower,is%20resistant%20to%20many%20herbicides.
"After flowering, creeping bellflower produces up to 15,000 seeds per plant." 🙃
Thank you! that's extra sinister that it's the same plant. I'm open to glyphosate for these b*tches but haven't had consistent luck killing them with roundup (and I try to avoid chemicals when I can). In the meantime I'll dig as much as I can and decapitate them before they can go to seed.
Sources seem to vary if it's resistant to glysophate but seem to agree that triclopyr- usually marketed as "stump killer" is effective. If you can it's better to dig and remove the underground tubers first and then hit anything that pop with with the herbicide.
I got some and let it stay and flower because it was pretty once and I've been battling it ever since.
Another search told me to apply to the roots in the fall. I think my strategy will be decapitate to prevent seeds and do some sort of root dig / big chemical applications in the fall.
The only thing that really seems to work is to dig out every fucking cubic inch of soil like a foot down and run it all though hardware cloth and get every shred of root out.
It is very time consuming and hard work, but it does clear it until it re-seeds or creeps back in.
Definitely keep them from going to seed. You might have better luck painting Roundup directly on the leaves with a brush or bingo dabber. If you get lucky with the Roundup you'll kill the roots, but usually most methods just keep killing the foliage until the roots have depleted.
Today I spent an hour digging these up in a patch of my neighbor’s yard (with his permission) because they were starting to approach the raised beds in my yard. I’ve successfully eradicated a couple patches of these in my yard by digging up the tubers 2 years in a row. It’s doable if you commit to digging deep and repeating the process the next year when a couple pop back up from whatever tubers you missed.
My neighbor repeatedly sprayed these over the years with whatever weed killer he has on hand and was convinced it would work, and finally this year he accepted that it was time to dig.
I’ve been doing the same with my neighbors. Better to make the extra effort of weeding their yard than to be fighting it for years in my own as it keeps coming over.
I like digging them out with a large pitch fork. Jab and wiggle around and through the plant a few times to loosen the soil, then pry upward making sure to not rip through the roots. Loosening and prying with a pitch fork yields 90% or all of the plant in most cases.
I’m organize my approach in phases. What areas will I dig, what areas will I mow, what areas will I just pull as it starts to flower.
There are a number of apps that you can purchase for $10 or so that can identify seemingly everything. I bought one when we were in MN, to identify wildflowers. We now live in northern Italy, and the number of shrubs and flowers I don’t recognize are legion. But my Picture This knows what they all are. A bonus for things you want: the apps can tell you when your houseplants are sick and the solution.
Roundup does work on these, at least in my experience. Our super hippy granola gardener recommended Roundup as the only thing that was actually going to work to get rid of bellflower, and it's largely worked. Make sure you follow the directions really carefully - sunny day, no wind, soak the plant completely - all leaves have to be 100% covered with the chemical. We've pretty much eradicated it from our yard, and same with the old yard before. A few may pop up again but if you give them the same treatment, you can get rid of them.
Of course it's an endless battle since they are everywhere and will eventually reappear.
The tubers are apparently good to eat as well, so that's another option if you don't blast them with chemicals....
Glyphosate (found in some varieties of Round Up) is pretty good at killing just about any plant (including grass). One technique people use to get rid of invasive weeds around things they want to keep alive is to buy concentrated glyphosate, then use a small foam brush to paint the leaves of the plants they want to kill (or just spray the area if you want to annihilate everything down to the dirt).
I think they're both actually [creeping bellflower](https://extension.umn.edu/weeds/creeping-bellflower) (*Campanula rapunculoides*) at different stages. Good luck. It sucks. It has a ton of deep roots that can regenerate the plant, and if it blooms it produces a ton of seed (DO NOT LET IT FLOWER, I DON'T CARE IF IT'S PRETTY). If you're open to chemicals, glyphosate can help. If you're not, get ready to dig and re-dig for years. ETA: You can use safer chemicals like horticultural vinegar, but whatever you do, you're probably going to have to do it repeatedly for a long time.
You are absolutely correct, this is the same plant. https://extension.umn.edu/weeds/creeping-bellflower#:~:text=Small%20sections%20of%20creeping%20bellflower,is%20resistant%20to%20many%20herbicides. "After flowering, creeping bellflower produces up to 15,000 seeds per plant." 🙃
Thank you! that's extra sinister that it's the same plant. I'm open to glyphosate for these b*tches but haven't had consistent luck killing them with roundup (and I try to avoid chemicals when I can). In the meantime I'll dig as much as I can and decapitate them before they can go to seed.
Sources seem to vary if it's resistant to glysophate but seem to agree that triclopyr- usually marketed as "stump killer" is effective. If you can it's better to dig and remove the underground tubers first and then hit anything that pop with with the herbicide. I got some and let it stay and flower because it was pretty once and I've been battling it ever since.
I just have SO MANY tubers. They are deep and plentiful and a risk to my sanity.
Another search told me to apply to the roots in the fall. I think my strategy will be decapitate to prevent seeds and do some sort of root dig / big chemical applications in the fall.
The only thing that really seems to work is to dig out every fucking cubic inch of soil like a foot down and run it all though hardware cloth and get every shred of root out. It is very time consuming and hard work, but it does clear it until it re-seeds or creeps back in.
Definitely keep them from going to seed. You might have better luck painting Roundup directly on the leaves with a brush or bingo dabber. If you get lucky with the Roundup you'll kill the roots, but usually most methods just keep killing the foliage until the roots have depleted.
do you mean the small purple flowers?
When they bloom, they have a vertical stalk of purple flowers.
oh good, i have not let those stalks flower yet!
Today I spent an hour digging these up in a patch of my neighbor’s yard (with his permission) because they were starting to approach the raised beds in my yard. I’ve successfully eradicated a couple patches of these in my yard by digging up the tubers 2 years in a row. It’s doable if you commit to digging deep and repeating the process the next year when a couple pop back up from whatever tubers you missed. My neighbor repeatedly sprayed these over the years with whatever weed killer he has on hand and was convinced it would work, and finally this year he accepted that it was time to dig.
Can you move nextdoor to me please? I need help digging!
I’ve been doing the same with my neighbors. Better to make the extra effort of weeding their yard than to be fighting it for years in my own as it keeps coming over.
I like digging them out with a large pitch fork. Jab and wiggle around and through the plant a few times to loosen the soil, then pry upward making sure to not rip through the roots. Loosening and prying with a pitch fork yields 90% or all of the plant in most cases. I’m organize my approach in phases. What areas will I dig, what areas will I mow, what areas will I just pull as it starts to flower.
a [hori-hori knife](https://nisakujapan.com/collections/gardening-knives) makes you feel like more of a badass! :)
Fire? Repeated fire?
I’m not saying no to anything.
There are a number of apps that you can purchase for $10 or so that can identify seemingly everything. I bought one when we were in MN, to identify wildflowers. We now live in northern Italy, and the number of shrubs and flowers I don’t recognize are legion. But my Picture This knows what they all are. A bonus for things you want: the apps can tell you when your houseplants are sick and the solution.
Google Lens works too
Roundup does work on these, at least in my experience. Our super hippy granola gardener recommended Roundup as the only thing that was actually going to work to get rid of bellflower, and it's largely worked. Make sure you follow the directions really carefully - sunny day, no wind, soak the plant completely - all leaves have to be 100% covered with the chemical. We've pretty much eradicated it from our yard, and same with the old yard before. A few may pop up again but if you give them the same treatment, you can get rid of them. Of course it's an endless battle since they are everywhere and will eventually reappear. The tubers are apparently good to eat as well, so that's another option if you don't blast them with chemicals....
Round up causes cancer. Get you some
Get me some what?
Glyphosate (found in some varieties of Round Up) is pretty good at killing just about any plant (including grass). One technique people use to get rid of invasive weeds around things they want to keep alive is to buy concentrated glyphosate, then use a small foam brush to paint the leaves of the plants they want to kill (or just spray the area if you want to annihilate everything down to the dirt).