Mimosa picture

Equil, now come on, you never catch jokes! Got any thin mints? I'm dying for some chocolate and I have none :(

Ya, you're right.

No Thin Mints left over but.... at the Upper Midwest RoundUp I pre-ordered 10 boxes from Al's daughter for next year. I'll order 10 from my princess niece and a three or four boxes from each little girl who comes to my door so I'm thinking we can sit down and have a veritable gorge fest next year.

Hmm....wonder what airfare is to your part of the world at that time of year? :-)

We're on! I hope I can wait that long. I'm having a serious chocolate attack, still.

4paws, hope you can make it, and pig out with us! :o)

Guess I better contact Al and triple my order. One never can be too prepared!

Absolutely not - especially if you have a freezer. Fill 'er up!

lol
'course I could hit every GS stand from here to there.

Now that's a game plan!

lol
Plus, I think I'm trading in my 1999 Volvo and truck (sniff...I'll miss it) for a van this week. Won't I be styling? A couple of dogs, futon, and a vanload of thin mints to cruise 'cross country in!
(oh, yeah, small stove and espresso maker, too.)

Skip the futon, I've got tons of extra bedrooms here. The dogs are fine and the Thin Mints we can just add to the ever growing mountain for us to graze on.

edited for spelling.

This message was edited Jul 23, 2006 2:35 PM

Such gracious hospitality! :-) Thank you!

Hey, no problem. You know, I had to scroll up to the top to see what this thread started as. Escambiaguy started it so it's only fitting that he be invited to come and join in the Thin Mint gorge fest. He can bring some good 'ole southern Mimosa for us to examine and we could all sit around stuffing our faces together with dogs underfoot.

With dogs overfoot. They like pillows. Sometimes it seems like the floor is moving.

I had to go back to the top and look, too, then deleted the long reply I made so I wouldn't hijack the thread. :-)

It's ok, escambiaguy?

I had to scroll way back up to see ya'll were talking about the Upper Midwest RoundUp. I've never been to the mid-west but would like to go up that way one day. The only time I have ever been out of the south is to go to NYC of all places.

I took a walk the other day and saw enough Mimosa seed pods to fill the back of a pickup truck. How many 5gal buckets would you like of them? LOL

Well, bring the little woman and haul your behind up north with those nice Mimosa pods and hang for a spell feasting on some fine This Mints with us fine DGers. Do those Mimosa pods pop like popcorn? Do they do anything?

Nope, they don't do anything special. They just look like big beans.

I wonder if they could be painted to look like some kind of ornament and sold at Christmas fairs to raise money for Thin Mints and travel gas to get to Equilibrium's house.

I think it's a Thin Mint Round-up, escambiaguy, and so far off any gardening topic...lol

I say we find a way to bake those pods and make them useful somehow to raise money to buy more well behaved plants and of course... Thin Mints.

I wonder if they were baked and made sterile, if they could be ground for soil ammendments?

I certainly wouldn't put them on my ground no matter what I did to them. I hate them so much I even cringe at the site of a partridge pea because they look so similar. Mimosa seeds are adapted to wildfires so they would probably still come back to haunt you, even if you tried to bake them.

I certainly wouldn't put Mimosa anywhere on my land either. Fusarium oxysporium f. perniciosum says it all for me. OK, so they'll survive wildfires. But, would they survive a visit to a crematorium? I don't think so ;) I'm thinking there's a market out there for these things even if we box Mimosa cremains and sell it as fairy dust or something. Remember pet rocks? People bought those by the boat loads. Surely we can come up with something creative.

I thought Fusarium oxysporum (spelling?) is detrimental to Mimosa (aka "Mimosa Wilt") and has known herbicidal properties. (Which makes sense, considering Lycopersicon (tomatoes) are often cited as susceptible to Fusarium.)

I can't speak to the accuracy of this article (didn't write it, don't know the folks that did), but this indicates it may be an effective herbicide against Mimosa, not the other way around: http://www.tneppc.org/Manual/mimosa.htm

Yes, it's detrimental to Mimosa. I didn't read the article you posted a link to but I'm sure it's accurate. I was referring to Fusarium oxysporium f. perniciosum being known to cause systemic infections in humans. We're really talking about a Mycotoxin here. Pretty scary stuff to me but perhaps if I knew more I wouldn't be so intimidated. This article, although it has a different scope and purpose, addresses some of the issues with Fusarium. Much of what I originally read about this particular strain of Fusarium oxysporium is buried in technical documents that I had difficulty comprehending but this particular article really helped me pull everything together in my head regarding Fusarium. No elderly, no children, no pregnant or nursing moms, and no one who has any type of an auto immune deficiency disorder should be around this plant in my humble opinion. The meat of the article is toward the middle and the end but if you don't read the first few paragraphs, you might not be able to pull it all together.

http://www.drugwar.com/fusarium.shtm

excerpt from the site- [quote]

Yikes! I had no idea that Mimosa was an "official" invasive plant or considered a noxious weed. I happened upon this mile-long thread by chance and learned much.
There was a lovely Mimosa tree in the front yard of my home when I bought it in 1986. It was enchanting planted as a lone specimen in the center of a yard bordered by a row of huge pines, a lovely blue spruce and a few scattered (blasted) sweet gums. The tree died of natural causes a few years after I moved in and I had some sorrow about removing it's remains. Pshaw! I now say!
In over 15 years, I am still weeding out seedlings from that nasty weed tree. This year especially, as I have done a significant amount of deer resistant re-landscaping on the front, mimosa seedling plague me endlessly. There is a ridiculous abundance of them in the front yard and they still show up here and there on the rest of my acre lot.
How long do those wretched seeds remain viable anyway?

Egads, I forgot the quote from the link I provided above. Oops, guess anyone interested can read at the link themselves. Sorry about that. Too tired to go back and correct it.

I can't answer your question without a considerable amount of digging around. Sorry LadyCleo, maybe someone else can. Most references to Albizia seedbanks are that the seeds remain viable for many years. This to me would equate to around 10 years perhaps longer.

http://www.tneppc.org/Manual/mimosa.htm This one says up to fifty years.

This message was edited Jul 25, 2006 5:38 AM

Here is a picture of the seed pods.

Oh my! Is that on your property too?

Pretty close, about a half mile. It is actually right across the road from the kudzu that I posted in the other thread. There are hundreds of trees full of these seeds.

I gather from what's written in a lot of these posts that I'd be example of one of those stupid, selfish people that everyone loves to hate because I plant "invasives" purposely. Some people on these forums have complained bitterly of how noxious and invasive lilacs and lily of the valley are, and how impossible they are to destroy once they get established, but I still intend to plant them on my property. I ordered some today, as a matter of fact.

I do have professional background in the environmental field, btw, and I'm familiar with the Colorado noxious weed list. Lilac isn't on it. Lily of the valley isn't on it. Mimosa isn't on it.

http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/noxious%20weeds.htm

And now I guess I'd better retreat to my bunker.

Nobody hates anybody. Some who are cleaning up their properties may be glad that you aren't their neighbor though because you are planting invasives purposely. Enjoy your Lily of the Valley, there are far worse and I don't believe it is allelopathic.

That's a nice link for Colorado that you provided. They're doing a lot better than Illinois getting plants on their Hall of Shame List. Seems as if most States do better than us getting plants formally identified at a State level as either noxious or invasive.

Lily of the Valley was a self inflicted beast for me. It took me two seasons to get rid of all that my Mother In Law had "gifted" me that I planted here. I miss them because they were incredibly beautiful and they did have a nice scent. Lots of other people around here planted them too. They've been very popular for a very long time. Unfortunately, Lily of the Valley repeatedly escapes and ends up in natural areas around here. One good thing about them is that they are readily recognizable and therefore easy for volunteers to spot. Not too many plants out there masquerading as Lily of the Valley so natural area volunteers are comfortable wasting them when they run across monocultures. Lily of the Valley is challenging to eradicate because of its rhizomes. Repeated digging and removal of their underground stems and rhizomes usually does the trick. Any pieces of rhizome that are missed will develop into plants. Needless to say, It often takes two or three shots at digging them up to completely destroy them. RoundUp also works well on them and because of their growth form, it's easy to "glove' them. Lily of the Valley isn't nearly as difficult to eradicate as some invasive species. English Ivy comes to mind as being an invasive that is much tougher to get rid of and although I haven't had the pleasure of dealing with Kudzu yet... it's headed my way so I'm sure I'll get to experience that first hand sooner or later.

Oh my gosh! I agree wholeheartedly with Equil! Nobody hates anybody. I wouldn't hate you even is you lived next door to me. I might be annoyed at you *smiling here*, but I would not hate you. You make choices that are right for you. I have a tree of heaven that right now I can't afford to take down. I need to take it down. I don't like weeding and
having to weed out hundreds of little seedlings per session and I'm sure my neighbors don't like to have to weed them out of their yards either. There are 3 right now on my block.....

Please don't go to your bunker. Join us in our discussions. Nobody on here knows everything. I come here to learn, so please don't be offended at anyones written word.

I do grow Lily of the Valley because it has been here for generations and is not a problem fo me. It doesn't spread anymore than daffodils or glads.
I don't think I have ever heard of Lilac being invasive. It won't live here because of our heat.

I want to read about the bitter complainers having to deal with the noxious invasive lilacs (Syringa spp., I presume?).

Better yet: show us pictures of such a situation!

Don't retreat to your bunker! We need people who are willing to speak up and counter some of the "invasive" plant misinformation that is being disseminated nationwide. If we don't speak up this issue, we'll all end up being oppressed by hasily crafted knee-jerk laws banning the growing, ownership, and breeding of certain plants.

The North American ecosystems are not fragile. They are not populated with weak plants and animals that are unable to compete with non-natives. Some non-natives may be aggressive and opportunistic, but generally only in disturbed or damaged areas. In a healthy native ecosystem, non-natives stand small chance of success. Recognizing this, some "invasive" organizations now say that the "invasives" are "historically inaccurate", and so must be destroyed.

Many of the above concerns involve one's lawn or garden, clearly disturbed sites.

When a newspaper runs another "Horror of the Invasive Plants" headline, or when new "inasive" plant laws are being rushed through chambers, we must respond. If not, we face the day when we will not be told what plants we may not grow, but what plants we may grow.

As in previous posts noted, selective commentary shades the issue. It is precisely "disturbed and damaged areas" that are the point of intrusion of many of the aptly named invasive species. Once having a foothold, changing of the system through their growth/reproduction is where these species are most damaging. This is one of the ways "healthy native ecosystems" are broken down.

If one expects to retain, restore, recreate, call-it-what-you-will these systems, I'd venture that the way NOT to do it is by introducing a lot of plants that never were part of it. That certainly does nothing to support the rest of the biota which synergistically and interdependently relies upon the original plant composition.

I agree that there are nincompoop emotional arguments and organizations out there. There are also bad cops, but that doesn't mean law enforcement should be ignored or castigated.

I look at the science, the practice, read many sources by authors willing to present conflicting viewpoints, seek out educational opportunities where all sides come to the table to make farsighted choices and support consensus-building on a minefield topic, like this one(http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/invasives/home.html). I participated in this and subsequent conferences consisting of diverse representatives of arboreta/botanical gardens; horticulture industry/nurserymen; design/landscape architecture; garden writers/garden clubs/public; and governmental institutions. You might imagine how many sides of the fence this group occupied.

I'm no fan of litigious solutions. I'm a fan of personal responsibility, and not hiding behind "I want it; therefore I shall have it" reactions to prudent choices. Those who choose the latter deserve to have stupid kneejerk laws applied, since they have abdicated the opportunity for evaluation/study/research on determining the long-term ramifications of their actions in favor of immediate gratification.

I've got lilacs here as do many of my neighbors. I've not once found any in a natural area. I have to wonder why that example was used by White_Hydrangea given I'd place my Lilacs up there with Japanese Maples which I also grow here. Lilacs and Japanese Maples don't meet the rigid parameters of being classified as an invasive species let alone a noxious weed based on my limited knowledge. I guess I'll step up as V V originally did when he asked for links from White_Hydrangea in which one would be able to read about the bitter complainers having to deal with the noxious invasive lilacs and additionally asked for photos of such a situation and ask you thistlepunk, where are all the healthy native ecosystem hiding these days where non-natives stand small chance of success? Although many of the people who express a concern about invasives are "generally" referring to disturbed or damaged areas involving "one's lawn or garden, clearly disturbed sites" there are many out there working in natural areas who are not focused on what is going on at home. I am referring to millions of acres of publicly held land.

Is there anything so wrong with some gardeners being concerned about not wanting to learn first hand what effects the next Purple Loosestrife, Salt Cedar, Buckthorn, or Japanese Honeysuckle that is introduced will have on public health, our environment, or to our economy? Is their anything so wrong with hoping and praying that the worst of the worst are controlled, managed, and eradicated so that the well behaved exotics can continue to be enjoyed by all gardeners? There exists a small pocket of people out there who repeatedly attempt to portray any and all who are concerned about invasive species as being missile locked on creating knee-jerk laws banning all exotic flora and fauna and it just isn't so. To quasi quote a new friend, "Protecting native flora and fauna by making tough choices is unacceptable, character assassination is fine: sure, that makes sense..."

Thistlepunk, weren't you the member who asked that people not post links to information on invasiveness over in the seed and plant exchanges? I find most recent comments regarding invasive plants to be mean spirited given I am not alone in my beliefs that our North American ecosystems are fragile and that although our native flora and fauna are not weak, they are not able to compete with the onslaught of highly invasive species that already exist in addition to those being introduced at an unprecedented rate. I base my comments on what I have been seeing in natural areas for a few decades now.

I, like V V, am a proponent of personal responsibility and less government. Unfortunately, there are too many people out sabotaging the argument for continuing along this path by openly boasting of planting invasives purposely. It's that anti-authoritative streak that runs through so many people that is at the root of the subdivisions and entire communities cropping up around my area that have home owners associations providing lists of what plants can be planted. Thistlepunk, the day has already arrived in many communities and it's a sad day given there are so many well behaved exotics available that add interest to the landscape. The reality is that many of us are already dealing with being told what we can plant as opposed to what we can't plant. There are several nurseries around here providing lists to shoppers based on where they live of what plants have been approved by their HO Associations and Communities. It's like going school shopping and being able to pick up your kid's supply list from a display rack only the sheets are of plants.

More and more, folks are being enabled NOT to think for themselves. I, too, believe personal responsibility is the way to go, however, if folks refuse to be educated or to face real truths, then they have to be "guided" for the greater good.

For example, my new neighbor, who lives in the SF Bay area and inherited the place next door, still thinks smoking is harmless. Via his way of thinking, so is burning trash, and driving needlessly (after all, he can afford the gas for his monster truck that really can't be necessary down in the city!). Because of this type of reaction/reasoning/rationalization, he doesn't feel he needs to even be polite, and has no qualms about blowing smoke in my face. Thus, CA has strict smoking policies. Where people will not take personal responsibiltiy, the government (prompted by people like me), will step up, eventually.

Never an issue of hate (well, I do HATE smoke...especially after weeks of fires surrounding us and settling in every day so working outside is not advised) toward a person, maybe toward an attitude. More, it's just a deep sadness inside.

I just learned Mimosas are invasive. I have trees which looks just like it growing wild but the flowers are different, they are small & yellow. Anyone know what I'm talking about? I will try to post a photograph.

You are probably referring to the native partridge pea. It's harmless.

Ladyborg, please post a photo.