Wild garlic taken over flowerbed, is all lost?

Supercell

Every year I pull it up but next it comes back thicker and thicker, at this point I'm thinking of just giving up and returning to grass.

Can anything be done about it?

JohnnyChimpo

Sell it all to a local greengrocer? It's delicious

looksee

When you say 'pull it up' do you mean literally that, haul on the green tops? Because the only way to get rid is to dig down and get out all the bulbs. If you do that for a couple of seasons you will get rid. Is there anything else in the bed? Would it be feasible to dig it up, clean the roots of bulbs carefully, then pot it up temporarily till you clear the bed.

RainInSummer

Is it the three cornered leek or ramsoms?

Supercell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121888153#Comment_121888153

Yeah I have been just pulling out as I've tulips, daff's and lupins there so was loath to go digging but sounds like i just may have to dig it all up and start over.

Don't know what variety to be honest, looks likes thick chives /almost spring onion in size. The (brief) flowers are nice but the green mess for the rest of the year is ugly there.

looksee

We did a similar job, wait until the bulbs have flowered and gone over - in the autumn - then lift everything, the daffs and tulips won't mind, the lupin you will have to lift carefully and keep the roots covered and damp till you replant it. Make sure you get every little bulb of the garlic. Meanwhile just pull the tops off the garlic to stop it seeding/bulbing from the flowerhead and keep it tidy. Our job was pretty successful, even though we didn't get every bit of it, it was reduced so that odd individuals could be taken up without disturbing the other bulbs.

Supercell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121891508#Comment_121891508

Thanks , sounds like a plan.

magicbastarder

I've been dealing with three cornered leek by simply yanking at the foliage on a regular basis; digging it out is not an option. Occasionally a bulb will come up when you pull but the long term game is just to weaken the bulbs to the point you exhaust them.

Stephen_Maturin

One man’s rubbish is another’s treasure haha

Funnily enough I’ve actually deliberately planted wild garlic in a wetter area of one of my fields - love the stuff when it arrives in spring, would forage for it every year

Can make the most delicious pesto with it

magicbastarder

by the sounds of it, the OP has three cornered leek rather than 'actual' wild garlic, and three cornered leek doesn't make as nice a pesto.

Supercell

It seems to die back naturally at this time of year, at the moment its lovely Lupin land so i'll live with the mess in spring and winter.