About 40 years ago I planted two Erythronium revolutum. Despite

sending seeds to several seed exchanges

each year, they managed to seed themselves so that I had

their pink flowers were one of

the joys of spring every year. Till last year. I couldn't see

Had the deer eaten all the flowers? But there

weren't any leaves, either.

Then I noticed Anemone nemorosa leaves along the whole border.

a wild form with incredibly long

twiggy rhizomes, not the short-rhizomed named forms. It had been

down at one end of the bed, and

while I wasn't paying attention it had zoomed over the

territory where its intertwined rhizomes

had completely blocked Erythronium access to the sky.. I began

it out, and bucket loads went

into the garbage. I cleared about a quarter of the area.

Today there are ten wan-looking flowers and lots of single leaves

cleared area. I started clearing

again. It is going to take a couple of years for them to get

strength back.