# Containing Lily of the Valley **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650 "2014-05-17T19:50:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650/1 "2014-05-17T19:50:36Z")
I have some of this that’s made itself a little too much at home. I put down a standard 4" landscaping edging but it went right under it, and I’ve spent the day digging it out. How deep of barrier do I need, and any product suggestions? I thought of scrap aluminum sheeting, but that would corrode in a couple of years so looking for something I only have to do once. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650/2 "2014-05-17T20:05:00Z")
[Dave](http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/523/) does not offer much hope. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650/3 "2014-05-17T20:05:08Z")
Good luck. I have it growing up through blacktop! I’ve just been mowing it down over the driveway. I’ve put down I don’t know how many assorted weedkillers over the years but it keeps coming back. I’ve also tried telling it nicely to stay where it belongs, but it seems to think it belongs in the driveway. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650/4 "2014-05-17T20:27:05Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > I have some of this that’s made itself a little too much at home… Have you tried to make it toil or reap? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650/5 "2014-05-17T20:28:35Z")
That’s lilies of the _field_. The ones from the valley don’t do shit. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650/6 "2014-05-18T17:40:34Z")
I would suggest mint-level protocols…plant them in pots, then sink the pots, leaving a small bit of the edges of the pot above-ground. The pips grow runners like mint and strawberry that crawl under any shallow edging. And they regrow from ANYTHING…the standard for getting rid of them is to dig up the pips, dig up the runners, and SIFT through the remaining soil to get any small bits of runner or root that escaped. They smell lovely, but they’re a real pain. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/containing-lily-of-the-valley/688650/7 "2014-05-18T20:27:03Z")
^Yep. I have removed the bottom from 5 gallon plastic buckets, then almost bury the bucket. That’s how we corral mint in the garden, as well as some specimen bamboo.