Noxious Weed vs Invasive Plant
Forum Archives
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-22-2005 at 10:42am
based on questions in recent threads on butterfly bush and clary sage, i thought i'd post information on the subject of noxious weeds. this is a very brief overview of a complex subject, based on what i've learned in the last few years. i'm more familiar with oregon's process and laws so i don't know how much of the info below will apply to washington. it seems that each state has some differences in how they list and which plants are listed.
the terms 'noxious weed' and 'invasive' are sometimes used interchangeably, which is not always accurate. all noxious weeds are invasive; not all invasive plants are noxious weeds. invasiveness is often a subjective viewpoint. conservation groups apply the term invasive to plants that escape gardens and spread aggressively in natural areas. sometimes gardeners will label a plant as invasive because it doesn't stay put in their gardens.
'noxious weed' is a legal definition. in oregon, it is bestowed jointly by the department of ag and the oregon state weed board, who regularly meet to review status of weedy non-natives. they also assign quarantines, classifications and control measures. 'quarantine status makes it illegal to transport, propagate or offer to buy or sell any part of the plant, including seeds.' the various classifications - class a, b, or c - determine the extent of control and eradication efforts, as well as dollars spent.
why do these plants - invasive and noxious - raise concerns? 'weeds alter the ecological balance, increase erosion concerns, reduce crop [including timber] yields, diminish recreational opportunities, lower land values, clog waterways and poison humans and livestock.'
[quotes' source: gardening for wildlife, native plant flashcards].
or has 101 noxious weeds, the majority of which were introduced as ornamentals [purple loosestrife, butterfly bush and english ivy] or as agricultural crop contaminants. i think canada thistle is an example of the latter.
there is also a federal noxious weed list - giant hogweed, heracleum mantegazzianum, is an example of a federally listed noxious weed.
and that, folks, is al the typing my fingers can do on the subject at present.
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-22-2005 at 1:02pm
Good listing, Lisa. I think this topic is worthy of a topic of the week. Thanks for the definitions.
Jeanne
tommyb
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Mar-22-2005 at 5:04pm
With the required apology in advance...
If this is going to be a class play, I volunteer to play the ob-noxious weed, but only because I haven't spread quite far enough to be the invasive plant. Not quite.
It's obviously not a Capital Play, 'cause the Director can't make Capital Letters yet.
I already said I'm sorry...
Get better soon, Lisa.
Tom
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-23-2005 at 4:17pm
lol, tommyb. thanks for well wishes, i'm getting better more quikcly since my cortisone shot last week. can't wait to be typing like a 'growed-up' again.
do you know that washington has an obnoxious weed list? cracked me up when i saw that. they include plants that they feel should be on the noxious weed list. that is where butterfly bush used to be listed.
Salvia Guy
Location: Oregon, Western
Posted: Mar-23-2005 at 9:02pm
Lisa,
I looked at the Oregon Noxious Weed list, actually the Noxious Weed Quarantine List.
See link below when the page comes up click on Oregon Nozious Weed Quarantine.
ODA Noxious Weed Quarantine
It lists Buddleja davidii and Hereda helix alright but it is footnoted (*except named horticultural varieties).
Alas, Salvia aetheopsis is on the list, the only salvia ..whew!
Also, Salvia scalerea was on the Washington Noxious weed list the last time I looked.
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-24-2005 at 10:54am
that is the site where i found the info, too, sg. thanks for posting the link.
i did state in the bb thread that named forms are not included in the current listing [your post made me think i had misled people, which i wouldn't want to do]. however, i have been told by tim butler, manager of oda's noxious weed control program that he fully expects some named forms to be listed in the near future. the study being conducted on the seeding habits of named hort forms of bb will likely guide that decision. because of this additional info, which is not posted on oda's website, i felt it important to let rs members know that, until more is known, do not assume that other forms are 'safe.'
yup, we had noted that Salvia scalerea, clary sage, is on the washington noxious weed list. did you see the thread on this topic in herb gardening? it was an off-shoot of the conversation on silver sage [btw, i'd love your input in the thread, silver sage for sparklemama.]
basilgirl
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-03-2005 at 1:56pm
on the subject on noxious&invasive weeds. I have noticed many cutflower vendors at farmers markets use many of these plants flowers in there arangements.
personally, i dont like this practice. there is a posibility of spreading seed that you dont want around your home.
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-03-2005 at 10:14pm
Basilgirl that is an interesting point. I guess it is all in how one looks at it. Does that mean they are growing these plants on purpose or are they wild collecting? Do people do that here/there? To me harvesting the flowers of these plants makes sense so they do not go to seed. Kind of a make the best of a bad thing? I do not have a strong opnion on this but I am interested in it though.
~BakingBarb
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-04-2005 at 4:12pm
There is an interesting article in the May Discover magazine entitled " Are Invasive Species Really So Bad? The Truth About About Invasive Species". On one hand I'm very concerned about our native ecosystems but on the other hand us humans are changing our enviroment constantly. Sometime we are going to have to decide where to draw the line and it won't be easy.
Take for example the butterfly bush. Mine only reseeded about twice because it didn't sprout in the shade and the ground was covered by plants,so no disturbed soil. Then a car rolled into my front yard last year[ a whole story in itself ]. It killed the bush and many other plants and suddenly there was sun and open soil and seeds sprouted like crazy. So how much problem does it pose to the native ecosystems? I know the soil is totally coved by some plant in a season around here. Bare soil in sun is only caused by humans, fire or landslides around here, right? So isn't the butterfly bush living in the artificial enviroments that we create, not the native ones? It can't take real cold weather so I don't think it can be a problem in the mountains.
Fireweed is the pioneer plant up there. BB doesn't like wet soil that I have seen so I don't think the wetlands are in trouble, though I did see it was listed as a possible threat there. If that really is a possiblility that would be another matter. One of the most invasive plants in my yard is the native bleeding heart. It is a very confusing subject to me.
Fern
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-04-2005 at 7:56pm
discover is not a magazine i'm familiar with but i see amazon reviewers compare it to a light version of scientific american, which we do get. i'll have to look for the may issue to read the article you mention since you've peaked my interest. Originally posted by Fern
"On one hand I'm very concerned about our native ecosystems but on the other hand us humans are changing our enviroment constantly."
yes, you're right, we do exert change on our environment. no matter how naturally we garden, the act of gardening alters our environment. however, i don't feel that i can take a fatalistic view that since we're changing it anyway, why worry about the change and why care how much change occurs. it is hard for me to justify continuing doing something that has a known negative outcome, especially when it isn't critical to my life. i mean, i may say i am dying to have such and such plant, but really, i will live perfectly fine without it in my garden. [okay, i may whine for awhile and drive everyone nuts until i find a new plant to die for. ]
i know where i draw the line in an effort to minimize negative impact isn't where others draw the line. i know some gardeners who feel that all non-native plants should be dug up and trashed and only natives should be planted. i can't go that far - i'm too much of a plantaholic - but i will abide by noxious weed laws and stay informed regarding plants that may join those ranks - my small atonement for altering my enviroment, i guess.
regarding butterfly bush, it does spread into disturbed, bare soil area but it has also colonized areas, including wetlands, that were filled with native plants, successfully outcompeting the natives. i posted more information on this in the thread, butterfly bush update.
your comment about how invasive the native bleeding heart is in your garden is a great illustration of the confusions over the use of the words 'invasive' vs 'noxious weed.'
so sorry to hear about the car in your front yard! how upsetting that must have been.
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 7:54am
I do want to add that I do think it is better to be safe than sorry so I will deadhead my butterfly bushes and I will replace them with a sterile variety when they are available.
Maybe it is a little fatalistic but I guess one of the points in the article is that we only have finite resources available to save our ecosystems and we have to pick our battles. I think one justifacation for at least trying to slow down the spread of species in the world is that it may give the native population a chance to adapt. I heard some of the native birds in Hawaii are developing a resistance to the avarian flu that hit that population. I'm also thinking about the sudden oak death disease that will eventually work it's way up to WA just from natural spread, we should do all we can to slow it down so that hopefully nature with balance itself and it won't destroy everything.
Fern
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 10:06am
if i implied that i thought your actions weren't conscious of environmental impact, it was unintended and i'm sorry, fern. what i should have included in my post is that i can totally relate to your 'on one hand . . . on the other hand' arguement with yourself because i do it, too.
the whole finite resouces, pick our battles thing is an interesting viewpoint. i know i don't have the expertise to determine which battles are the important ones. i hope that those who do the choosing are very well-informed.
for example, while it is true that some plants can and do adapt to imported diseases [there is speculation that some native dogwoods may develop resistance to anthracnose] and that culling out the weak ones is good for the whole species, i think the issue becomes more complicated when discussing wildlife impact caused by losing large amounts of plants during the process. we know quite a bit about the use of natives by mammals and birds but the study of inter-relationships between plant and insect, fungi and the rest of the smaller life forms is too new to fully understand cause and effect, imo.
some wildlife, including insects, will adapt more readily but there are some that will never adapt and will die out. one could argue that one species in the big picture might not be important when considering limited resources, but my concern is that we may not know full impact for a long time and by then, it would be too late. as for which species would survive, there are some i could do without. starlings are too good at adapting to man's urbanization impact.
has anyone ever read any ray bradbury short stories? he wrote one about time travel safari expeditions; people traveled back in time to hunt dinosaurs. they worked out details carefully so that only dinosaurs about to die were killed so that the timeline wasn't affected. however, one of the travelers was so freaked out that he stepped off the floating path and ran through the jungle, back to the time machine. upon return, the travelers noticed subtle, negative differences in their own time. the panicky time traveler sat down and discovered, in the mud on his shoes, a delicate butterfly that he had trampled. science fiction, yes, but it's something i think about when considering the complicated big picture of figuring out which battles to fight. as i wrote above, i hope those who do the choosing are looking at things from all angles.
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 10:16am
Originally posted by basilgirl
on the subject on noxious&invasive weeds. I have noticed many cutflower vendors at farmers markets use many of these plants flowers in there arangements.
personally, i dont like this practice. there is a posibility of spreading seed that you dont want around your home.
i'd have to check but if the vendors are growing noxious weeds and then selling them, i think they are in violation of noxious weed laws. if the plants are invasive weeds, not legally classified as noxious weeds, they can legally do that. i'm not keen on this practice either.
Red Hare
Location: Oregon coast
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 2:27pm
It's at this time every year that I'm reminded how easily a plant species can get out of hand, and what a horrible problem it can cause. I'm thinking of Scotch broom, now conspicuously in bloom. Later the "wild" Buddleia will be evident along the roadside as it comes into bloom. The purveyors of "wildflowers" at markets don't know that someone may take their flowers home, then when the blooms have faded, toss them onto a compost pile where the seeds can be eaten by birds and spread around the area.
I'm not "natives only" either - probably under the right circumstances, even they could be "noxious" or "invasive." But I want to leave as little impact as possible - just my own tiny city lot - and let my neighbors and nature tend their own respective gardens.
Good thread - it's always good to be challenged to think, and I love hearing other points of view.
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 4:10pm
Yes, I 've read that short story, isn't it called "The Butterfly Effect"? It's very thought provoking. And Lisa, you didn't hurt my feelings, I know I am a good enviromentalist from way back. I'm just figuring out what to do. One thing is that I give alot of people plant recommendations at my job and I am wondering what to do about the butterfly bush. Should I still recommend them but warn people to deadhead them? We don't sell the straight species. Or shall I just tell people not to buy them at all? Or put up a sign warning people? I feel a little guilty knowing how many of them I have recommended in the past.
Fern
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 4:15pm
one spring during my stint at the local retail nursery, a customer came in wanting to buy 'that bright gold plant that grows everywhere along the roadways.' i informed her that the plant in question was scotch broom, a quarantined noxious weed and i couldn't sell it to her because we didn't sell noxious weeds - it was illegal to do so. she was completely miffed with me, demanding to know why i wouldn't sell her one or tell her where she could buy one. iirc, she even offered me money to find her one. completely clueless.
fawn, you'll never believe which magazine i found at my hair stylist - discover, may issue. i couldn't believe my eyes because i hadn't found it elsewhere yet. he let me borrow it so it's in my pile of reading material.
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 4:29pm
Good way to discribe the larger issues of impact to the larger ecosystem, Lisa. Nicely worded! .
Personally, Fern, I would not recommend Butterfly bush. I would instead recommend lilacs or ceanothus or something that would work just as well. I think it is a good idea to educate the customer who may not know anything about BB being on the noxious list. As a customer, I would want to know if I am buying a potentially invasive and or noxious weed. The headachs of invasive/noxious plants just are not worth it and I personally don't want to be part of the "problem".
Jeanne
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 4:30pm
oh, me, too, fern - recommended it big time back in the 90's while i worked at the nursery.
boy, that's a toughie, i'm not sure what to tell you. it's tricky to gauge where customers fall along the environmental continuum. some could care less - like my scotch broom lady - while others are more conscientious and, if they bought one, would be good about deadheading it.
the plants are not included in the listing so nurseries have every right to sell, customers have every right to purchase and it is a fine line to walk regarding one's own convictions about a plant. i dealt with this situation concerning english ivy when i worked at the nursery [it wasn't classed as a noxious weed yet]. i'd probably do what i did for that plant. i'd be less prone to recommend it whenever possible. if asked, i'd mention concerns about the plant and suggest alternatives. if one was purchased, i'd recommend deadheading. of course, all these actions were taken in varying degrees depending on how receptive i thought the customer was. oh, yeah, and whether the owner was in earshot - english ivy was very profitable for nurseris because it was so easy to propagate, much like butterfly bush - and if he heard me recommend against a money maker, i'd have been in trouble.
thanks for supplying the name of the short story [you wouldn't happen to remember which short story collection it was in, would you? boy, i'm demanding - lol]. glad to know i didn't offend you.
jeanne, thanks for the compliment.
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 6:23pm
Working with plants and people is sure an eye opener. Yes there are many that just don't care. The ones that do are the ones that you can talk to, unfortunatly it is not most of them.
Scotch broom, that is the tall yellow flowered stuff with green foliage? What is the compact growing one with yellow flowers but gray foliage? Are they related? I see very little of the gray one but I have assumed they are related. btw I knew there was a good reason not to eat brussel sprouts!!!
~BakingBarb
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 11:40pm
i had a yen to re-read the story but i couldn't find the title 'the butterfly effect' listed in my numerous books of his. so i did a little googling and discovered that it is called "A Sound of Thunder". it appears in r is for rocket.
while googling, i discovered that in one scene in the movie 'the butterfly effect' [which i've yet to see] one of the characters is seen reading the above short story. further trivia - completely off topic, but interesting, at least to me. from the site, time travel reviews, i learned the following: The term Butterfly Effect did not originate with this tale, but rather was coined after MIT research meteorologist Edward Lorenz who discovered in the early 1960s that small variations in his computer model caused wildly divergent results. Lorenz later went on to write a seminal paper on Chaos Theory based on his experience.
okay, back to the topic at hand.
i think the answer is 'yes' to your first question, bakingbarb. you can check the following to determine for sure: government of bc - scotch broom
another one for scotch broom
i've no clue what the answer is to your second question. is the second plant also a weedy plant? i could use a few more clues, please.
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-06-2005 at 10:34am
Great links, Lisa. The second one does give some insight into why such a "pretty plant" can be so distructive. Thanks!
Jeanne
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-07-2005 at 10:43am
Sorry I took so long to get back to you. A sunny warm day meant I got alot done in the garden yesterday! I wasn't positive that was the name of the short story, glad you were able to figure it out. Interesting that the expression "the butterfly effect" didn't come from that story, I had always assumed that it had.
Thanks for all the advice about promoting [or not] tha butterfly bush. I think I've decided not to reccommend it at all and if I see someone buying it to warn them. I think the ceanothus is a good alternative, I just wish there was a good summer blooming alternative. I also have Verbena bonariensis, the Brazilian Verbena, all around my yard reseeding like crazy, and I remember reading one list that it might be one that might turn out to be noxiuos. We don't sell it often but when we do I think I won't recommend it just to be on the safe side and so I don't have to feel guilty about it a few years down the road.
Fern
basilgirl
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-18-2005 at 12:23pm
I personally have quit growing and selling plants I belive are a possible problem. And when ever someone askes for one I offer alternatives and try to information them on why. I want to know at least i tried to do my part.
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-19-2005 at 6:38pm
That is scotch broom for sure but now I have to figure out what the other one is. I think it is relative just becasue! LOL not a good enough reason but lets see if I can find a pic and you will see why.
The flowers are a paler yellow, it is flowering in conjuction with the scoth b. but it is not weedy as in it is much less prevalant. I see it growing along some peoples property where there are large rocks and it is quite a bit prettier then the scotch.
~BakingBarb
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-19-2005 at 9:15pm
Oh, the plant is shorter and the foliage is gray.
At this point in time I have not found it either.
~BakingBarb
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-20-2005 at 10:15am
There are related forms of broom, such as Cytisus 'Moonlight' or C. 'Burkwoodi', that are sold in nurseries. AFAIK, these are not invasive. They are not included in the noxious weed listing. Sometimes I see these plant listed with the same Latin name as Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius and at other times, I see them sans scoparius or as C. praecox. Not sure why the difference in latin names (I haven't investigated this more yet). Perhaps you are seeing one of the cultivated forms of broom.
I forgot about other plants also called brooms, Genista 'Lydia' and G. 'Pilosa'. These are all in the pea family.
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-20-2005 at 10:32am
Originally posted by Fern
"I also have Verbena bonariensis, the Brazilian Verbena, all around my yard reseeding like crazy, and I remember reading one list that it might be one that might turn out to be noxiuos. We don't sell it often but when we do I think I won't recommend it just to be on the safe side and so I don't have to feel guilty about it a few years down the road."
I've grown this plant, too. I loved its fragrance and its airy wands of flowers. Tall as it is, I could plant it at the front of the border and it wouldn't block plants behind it. But it seeded everywhere prolifically. I was warned it would but I had not idea just what I was getting into until it was too late. I tried to keep on top of the deadheading chore but I just couldn't keep ahead of it. I was spending too much time pulling seedlings so I pulled it out. That was 4 years ago and I'm still finding seedlings and not just around the mother plant - all through my garden.
A couple years ago, I saw it growing in a waste area not far from me, in an area where it could not possibly have been purposely planted. It isn't there now. I don't know if someone pulled it or if it naturally died out. It isn't on the Alien Plant Invaders list compiled by The Berry Botanic Garden, which is a list I consider a good resource for potential problem plants. Their list was compiled from the Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council's list, which I believe was done in '96 and, AFAIK, hasn't been updated. I heard rumors the group was no longer in existence; it's possible since their website is no longer accessible. There's no way for us to know what updates would have been made if the group was still active.
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-20-2005 at 12:32pm
I have noticed that my Euphorbia characias wulfenii has seeded itself around the garden just a bit too much this year. I'll have to be more careful about deadheading. Usually, it plants itself in better places than I plan, though.
Jeanne
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-20-2005 at 6:49pm
Cytisus 'Moonlight' that would be the plant. thank you
~BakingBarb
kalmia10
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-22-2005 at 11:37am
Greetings - a newbie poster here. Just for info on Cytisus scoparius 'Moonlight': it is on the prohibited plant list for Washington State. Any named cultivar of any of the listed plants is considered illegal to sell here.
I suspect a certain unnamed big box store is about to pull their plants from sale...
Wanda
Location: Puget Sound corridor
Posted: Apr-22-2005 at 12:43pm
Welcome to Rainyside! You should post a little something about yourself in the cafe so we can get to know you! I'm guessing your real name is Mountain Laurel!
-Wanda
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-22-2005 at 12:49pm
Thanks for the info on cytisus scoparius, Kalmia! Welcome to Rainyside, ditto what Wanda said!
Jeanne
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-22-2005 at 5:34pm
Hi kalmia10, glad to see you posting here!
Thanks for the info regarding Cytisus scoparius 'Moonlight'. I didn't realize that all named forms are included in the noxious weed listing for Washington. Good to know. In Oregon, I thought that unless a named selection is included in the listing, it is not considered an official noxious weed (regardless whether it shares the same bad habits) but my knowledge of these matters is a bit rusty. Unfortunately, I'm not able to determine guidelines on ODA's newly updated website. I've not learned my way around it well enough yet to know where to look for this information.
I did notice that on Oregon's Noxious Weed list, it states next to the listing for butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii "except named horticultural varieties". Ditto for English ivy, Hedera helix.
I'm trying to recall whether I was told that 'Moonlight' was not invasive or if it another plant known as broom (but not a Cytisus) that was not invasive. This is from my days at the retail nursery in the '90's (last century! LOL) and I shouldn't rely on my memory. Plus this was in the days when we sold English ivy and butterfly bush. Times have changed.
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-22-2005 at 8:07pm
Could you put a link here to where it says that. Not to be rude but I like to see it in writing from, where it comes from.
~BakingBarb
hollysue
Location: Washington, Southwestern
Posted: Apr-22-2005 at 11:03pm
Another interesting website on this subject for those of us in Washington:
Washington Invasive Species Coalition
(sorry if this has been posted before - I hadn't seen it!)
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Apr-23-2005 at 12:11am
bakingbarb, who are you addressing with your request? If you mean me, could you clarify which link it is you want? It's late and I'm tired so it's not clear to me.
btw, I was checking Washington's Noxious Weed Board's website and noticed that Verbena bonariensis is on their monitor list. Read more here.
Sarah Reichard, the sponsor for study of Verbena bonariensis, was one of the many knowledgeable people on the Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council I mentioned above.
kalmia10
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-23-2005 at 1:03am
Thanks for the warm welcomes...
The listing that I'm referring to for 'Moonlight' is the presence of Cytisus scoparius on Washington's Prohibited Plant List (quarantine list)under the jurisdiction of WSDA, not the Noxious Weed List. The two lists are not the same. One is for buying, selling and transporting plants (quarantine), and one is basically for the plants already established and growing on one's property (Noxious weed list). You can find both lists on the link that Lisa posted above(Thanks, Lisa!).
Unfortunately, the rules for the Prohibited List are not spelled out as well as they could be IMHO, so the whole cultivar question/issue is one that comes up with some regularity. If you are asking me that question, BakingBarb, it is not rude at all, but a valid point.
I hope I'm making sense - it's a hideous hour...
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-23-2005 at 8:26pm
I'm very interested in this subject, but I'm way too tired to tired to think after working all day at a retail nuresry on a weekend day in the spring. I will probably be asking questions after I get a chance to read all the good links you have posted.
Fern
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-24-2005 at 9:07pm
Lisa, I meant from kalmia10 since she/he was the one that said the moonlight was on the list too. Sorry I was not clearer on that. But I see while I was away for the weekend you all posted all kinds of info for me to read up on. Thank you.
BTW while driving around for the weekend, I could not help but notice the proliferation of the bright yellow broom. I only saw about 10 of the paler yellow-white and the paler lemon-yellow and maybe about the same of the one with red on it. So the bright yellow that we see ist he more prolific of the bunch.
Oh but I am so excited I saw up close and personal trilliums in the natural landscape for the first time. I have seen them only as I drive past them before and in pots being sold. So that was way cool for me. Also saw some woodland sorel and my brain is tired so can't think of hte rest.
~BakingBarb
HarleyLady
Location: Willamette Valley
Posted: Apr-25-2005 at 9:42pm
I have two beautiful brooms with yellow/red flowers. They don't seem to seed around, so I'm wondering if they're a named cultivar which the previous owner planted and aren't a problem. Sure hate to give 'em the ol' shovel if they're harmless. I'll post a photo tomorrow to see if anyone recognizes it.
HarleyLady
bakingbarb
Location: Washington, Western
Posted: Apr-27-2005 at 8:57pm
Harleylady that seems to back up what I observed about the other color types. I don't think they reseed hardly at all. The paler colors I see, alot of times it is growing by itself and is obviously a mature plant with not babies of any color near it. So it is not reseeding next to itself where as the bright yellow seems to do that.
~BakingBarb
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton