Lily of the valley is a beast to eliminate

Question: How do I get rid of lily of the valley that is taking over the rest of the flower garden and bulbs of other plants?

Answer: Lily of the valley is a beautiful fragrant spring flower that is also a thug in the garden that, as you discovered, is very difficult to eliminate. Persistence is key to eliminating this unwanted plant.

Removing the lily of the valley leaves as soon as they appear in spring will eventually eliminate the plant. But you must remove all the leaves as soon as they appear to be effective.

Or continually dig and destroy the unwanted plants and rhizomes, underground stems. This can take several years, as any portion of the rhizome that remains in the soil can start a new plant.

You may decide to start over, removing all your desirable plants and then smothering or treating the lily of the valley with a total vegetation killer. I suggest potting up the desirable plants and monitoring them for any stray lily of the valley plants that may have tagged along. You would hate to accidentally replant them once the bed has been cleared.

Start by edging the bed once the desirable plants have been removed. Cover the area with cardboard or 10 to 12 layers of newspaper topped with 4 to 6 inches of woodchips, shredded leaves or other organic mulch. This will smother the lily of the valley plants. Leave the mulch in place for at least one growing season.

Or, treat the remaining lily of the valley with a total vegetation killer such as glyphosate that kills the leaves, rhizomes and roots. It will take several applications to eliminate this plant. Keep in mind that this product can kill any plant it touches.

Q: I am an amateur gardener and I always have challenges keeping my plants healthy and growing. My 10-year-old daughter saw a flat of different varieties of stonecrop and convinced me to buy it. I don’t know if it will survive the winter and come back in spring. Please advise.

A: Growers have been helping us create beautiful groundcover, container and green roof plantings with these flats of mixed stonecrops also known as sedums. If grown in the ground outside in full sun and well-drained soil, they should thrive and survive the winter.

Eventually you will need to do some thinning, and the makeup of the planting may change as the more assertive species begin to dominate.

If you are growing this mix in a container or as a green roof, you will need to provide winter protection, as the roots will be exposed to the cold winter temperatures. Sink the container in a vacant part of the garden for winter or move it to an unheated garage away from the door. Just water whenever the soil is thawed and dry.

Q: There is some type of green pod growing on my magnolia tree. The plant is otherwise healthy. Should I be concerned?

A: The growth is a seedpod. When the flowers are successfully pollinated, fruit will develop. These pods eventually turn pink and split open, revealing orange seeds. You can try starting new plants from these seeds, but the resulting tree may not look like the parent.

Place ripe seeds in moist vermiculite and store in the refrigerator for three to six months. Plant the seeds in spring. Be patient, as it can take four to six years to grow into a flowering plant.