While lily of the valley is a beautiful late spring bloomer, it is an aggressive spreader. Its underground rhizomes will quickly take over an area if left unattended and will choke out weeds and other plants in its vicinity. It appears this is unfortunately what happened to your bleeding heart. You can attempt to dig up the rhizomes in that area of your property if there are any other plants near by you want to protect, but remember if any rhizomes remain, the plant will continue to spread each year.
It is often best to plant lily of the valley in an area where it can live on its own and prevent it from negatively affecting other plants.
Hi Joanne,
While lily of the valley is a beautiful late spring bloomer, it is an aggressive spreader. Its underground rhizomes will quickly take over an area if left unattended and will choke out weeds and other plants in its vicinity. It appears this is unfortunately what happened to your bleeding heart. You can attempt to dig up the rhizomes in that area of your property if there are any other plants near by you want to protect, but remember if any rhizomes remain, the plant will continue to spread each year.
It is often best to plant lily of the valley in an area where it can live on its own and prevent it from negatively affecting other plants.