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Fern
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Quote Fern Replybullet Topic: I killed my Butterfly Bushes
    Posted: Sep-03-2009 at 8:10pm
I finally did it, killed my Butterfly bushes, on purpose. I know it's a noxious weed now, but in my defense I planted them long ago before anyone thought they would be a problem. I tried to keep up with deadheading them last year, but it was just more work then I can do regularly, I admit it. Last winter's cold killed them to ground, they didn't even resprout till about a month ago and they were only about 3 feet tall, so I had gotten used to the idea of them being gone, but I still am a little sad. I do hope they can make a truly sterile hybrid some day. I still think they wouldn't get out of control in my area, because the cold is too hard on them, but I know the seeds can spread up to 40 miles and they might be a problem closer to the water where it's warmer, and that's less than 40 miles away.
I also killed my Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola), also planted a long time ago before it was known to be a problem. I don't think it spread, but it wasn't that exciting a plant either, so I'm not sad about killing that one.
I'm still fighting the Lord Robert Geranium, but at least I didn't plant that one on purpose! It just appeared 4 years ago.
So my Noxious Weed plants are mostly gone! That does feel good.

Edited by Fern - Sep-03-2009 at 8:13pm
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Joy C
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Quote Joy C Replybullet Posted: Sep-03-2009 at 8:58pm
A friend gave me a cute and little butterfly bush years ago, It kept getting bigger and bigger, and we kept pruning it back, and finally in frustration over its piggish nature, I got rid of it. Now I feel justified with my intolerance, and love the Phormium that replaced it.
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JeanneK
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Quote JeanneK Replybullet Posted: Sep-03-2009 at 9:00pm
Good for you, Fern! I need to go kill my butterfly bush too. The cold here in Portland didn't seem to phase it at all. It suffers more from lack of water. I thought that would kill it so I have been depriving it of water but I am going to have to chainsaw it.
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greenmann
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Quote greenmann Replybullet Posted: Sep-04-2009 at 9:12am
Good on ya, Fern! They are pretty... but as my mother used to say, "pretty is as pretty does" and it's not so pretty when you see it strangling the willows in a wetland :(
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Lisa A
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Quote Lisa A Replybullet Posted: Sep-08-2009 at 4:20pm
Fern, I think they are working on sterile forms. Hybrids hold potential. That said, I know that when I talked to a rep for ODA's weed program, he told me that he was having a hard time getting breeding information to show that so-called sterile forms were really and truly sterile. That was months ago and I haven't followed up since.

Instead of looking on this as a loss, consider all the delectable choices you can plant instead!
Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.
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silver_ creek
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Quote silver_ creek Replybullet Posted: Sep-09-2009 at 6:46am
I am seeing so-called sterile forms showing up in liner lists...hoping they really are sterile, and are soon available as customers ask for them. We haven't carried them in years because of their weediness, but there are many nurseries who sell them anyway. It would be nice to offer a responsible alternative.
Terry M.
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greenmann
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Quote greenmann Replybullet Posted: Sep-09-2009 at 8:37am
All I can say is that I hope they learned the lesson of what happened when they released a "sterile" Purple Lossestryfe- it was considered sterile because 90% of the seeds were infertile, but the other 10% were, and the seedligns from that 10% were perfectly fertile in their own right, meaning that though that particular clone didn't spread much, its progeny did.

Unfortunately the research I saw on the hybrids was not promising. The oldest group of ornamental hybrids, a cross between Buddleia davidii and B. globosa (an interesting anomoly in the group, from South America, with orange globular flower clusters, and apparently polinated significantly by hummingbirds in its native range) is not at all sterile. There are one or two Asian species that are much lower in seed viability, so maybe they are trying to out cross those, but my sense from the literature was that the ones that were less likely to spread were also the least ornamental of the group. But who knows? Miracles have happened in breeding before, lol.
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Fern
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Quote Fern Replybullet Posted: Sep-15-2009 at 9:36am
From what I can learn, they haven't gotten a truly sterile Butterfly bush yet. The most promising one seemed to be a dwarf called 'Blue Chip', part of a new series called 'Lo and Behold'. But while it doesn't have fertile pollen, out in their test fields the plants did produce a small number of fertile seeds. And since a single flower head (at least in the bigger, older varieties) can produce 40,000 seeds, it wouldn't take a large percentage to cause a potential problem. At least with the dwarf one it would be easier to keep up with the deadheading. Still, I don't want to take the risk.
'Miss Ruby' is another new compact one touted as less invasive, but approx. 10% of it's seeds are viable, still way too many for a plant that produces that many seeds.
The people at the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture are working on establishing a list of Buddleia varieties that are safe to plant and legal to plant there (in 2010 they will not be legal to sell there because of it's invasiveness), but they don't have it ready yet. I will be very interested to see it. Here is a link to it. link

Edited by Fern - Sep-15-2009 at 10:00am
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DebbieTT
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Quote DebbieTT Replybullet Posted: Sep-15-2009 at 3:20pm
I thought I killed my butterfly bush, but I noticed it was blooming today. Albeit it was a lot shorter, but there it was nonetheless. Where's my poison when I need it? Oh wait, I gave that up for lent.

Edited by DebbieTT - Sep-15-2009 at 3:21pm
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Lisa A
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Quote Lisa A Replybullet Posted: Sep-18-2009 at 5:24pm
Fern, I have to talk to Tim Butler, ODA, about another issue so I'll try to remember to ask him about this list. As I posted above, the last time I talked to someone at ODA, they were having difficulty obtaining breeding info to verify that so-called sterile forms were truly sterile. At that time there were only 3 possibilities, including the Lo and Behold 'Blue Chip' cultivar, which doesn't seem to be sterile after all.
Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.
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blueberry1946
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Quote blueberry1946 Replybullet Posted: yesterday at 6:41pm
I think a little more tolerence could be applied here. There are many plants that become noxious weeds when they are moved to another environment. I have had butterfly bushes in my yards for many years. thoughtful pruning and cutting the seed heads of and allow them to mulch at the base of the mother plant keeps them controlled to one area. It is a very attractive, fragrant, butterfly attracting tall shrub. As with people all plants deserve thier place on earth.
lawrence
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