Politics?

Thanks Dave, many DGers need a pressure valve, so to speak.
Sidney

This has been interesting to read. The politics definition above was useful. The "conflicting interrelationships" as noted by Pirl defines what should not be posted - statements at odds with a forum that is designed to positively inform in a courteous environment. Most gardeners are by nature polite and the wealth of courtesy on nearly all of these forums is wonderful. Any post that states an opinion that will absolutely draw a conflicting opinion should not be allowed. Those type of posts do not inform someone in a courteous manner of how to grow (or not grow) a particular plant. I think this is also a safe forum for the occaisional comment on why someone should consider not growing a particular plant....because it might be invasive - but this can also be done in a thoughtful way and should only be done if it is fact-based - not opinion based. For example - I am now reconsidering whether to include grasses in my landscape. I admired my neighbor's grasses. I started a few of my own....but now we are both dealing with too much of a good thing. I also now realize after reading on this forum, that if I was near a farm that relied on grass crops....that my garden choice might be hurtful. I didn't know that before and appreciate the considerate way the information has been presented. HM

I sort of disagree that just because this is the Invasive Plants Froum that conflicting opinions from other members should not be allowed. Those opinions are what enable all of us to learn from each other. I'm not saying that a troll who doesn't regularly contribute out to try to instigate trouble by popping up and posting out of no where should be tolerated but I haven't seen anyone trying to stir up the pot. I thought emotions would be high and people might get overly defensive but it hasn't happened.

Eqi

Your comments are well received and actually I concur.

Perhaps a more accurate statement would be to say that any post that is designed simply to draw a conflicting opinion without the benefit of providing (in a courteous manner) solid factual information of benefit to those who are actively seeking plant information should be squashed. It appears that in the early days (prior to Feb 9) of this forum that such action did happen....the dialog appears a bit heated back then.

What I did not realize until I read this interesting forum was that there were "camps" on the issue of invasive plants or that invasive plants are such a widespread issue. I also did not realize that it was political in a "range war" kind of way.

I still do not know how I feel about some of it....I noted that one individual considers my mexican marigold (calendula) invasive yet it is one of my favorite plants....fortunately my neighbor likes it as well because it has spread to her garden!

I do like this forum and hope it stays as informative as it is. HM

I have received a reply from Home Depot regarding plants for sale in their stores that are considered invasive in some areas. They were very cordial in their reply. Their position is that they do NOT wish to sell any plant material that could be a potential problem in any area. They said that they have forwarded my concerns to the regional buyers who should in turn work with the wholesaler(s) to exclude any potential problem plant material. There was no mention of how they planned to identify or source "potential problem plant material". In other words it remains to be seen which "list" they will consider as an anuthority, whether state or federal something like the Nature Conservancy for example. I do feel that they will honestly look at the issue. For the retailer it is always the bottom line. In this case they will suffer no economic harm by vetting their plant material, as we all know there are countless varieties of good plants available for sale. The wholesale grower is the entity that is the source of the problem. My guess is that anything that is invasive is probably cheap and easy to grow. It is the bottom line for them too. They will need pressure from their retail outlet customers. If plants sit in their fields and greenhouses with no buyer then they lose their market and money. It is the wholesalers that really need to clean up their act.

Okay - now back to the subject....great thread Dave - I've been waiting for something like this. Sometimes you trade seeds and don't realize they are invasive (even if someone else might like the plant in large areas). I think if people could post their experiences with plants THEY believe are invasive, it might make some of us think "Hmmm, I didn't know that - guess I shouldn't plant it where I was going to"....it would be so nice to just have input from other people's experiences with what could potentially be an invasive plant"......so - who wants to start?

Well, we kinda sorta already do that in PlantFiles - it's an excellent place to add your observations (positive or negative) about each plant, for the benefit of other readers who may be considering it planting it in a similar situation to yours.