snowdrops

elizabeth cathcart

My huge patch of woodland snowdrops which has been magnificent for 30 years appears to have been swamped by a ground elder type weed in the last few weeks. It is pale green and shallow rooted like ground elder and has swamped the snowdrops which are now struggling to poke through the root system. Is it a mild weather thing? It seems to be strangling the clumps. Any thoughts?

Dovefromabove

Can you post a photograph please Elizabeth, showing clearly the leaves and stems and the whole plant.  To post a pic click on the Tree icon on the toolbar above where you type your query and follow the instructions 

Hostafan1

If it is ground elder, I'd wait until the snowdrops die right back in early summer then spray the ground elder with glyphosate ( eg Roundup ) I'm sure the organic types will hate this , but unless you want to spend the rest of your  life on your hands and knees with a hand fork picking up every cm of root, it's the only really effective way to get rid of it on a big scale like yours.

nutcutlet

I'd need a photo. If ground elder has swamped anything this year it must have been there last year. 

Snowdrops can usually push their way through anything.