I was about to post some pictures of some trees/shrubs that have been flowering at the edge of the woods behind my house, but I just identified it as Chinese privet, which is apparently a very invasive non-native. I just cut them down (and, as a bonus, found a Mexican plum behind one). I also found some nandina back there that I think I will take care of as well. That just leaves the Japanese honeysuckle growing on my back fence. It is hard to convince myself to get rid of it at this time of the year, with the pretty flowers and strong fragrance.
Is anyone else fighting battles with invasives?
Dennis
Invasives
Yes, I am in the process of getting rid of my Nandinas which I have had for over 30 years.
Didn't know they could be a problem in the wild until recently.
I also have Japanese Honeysuckle which I love, but I will take it out this year after the first flush of bloom, it is heavenly right now.
I don't have a problem with them in my yard, I just don't want to contribute to problems in the wild.
I am going to replace it with Coral Honeysuckle, but there will be no scent.
Oh well, such is life.
Josephine.
We have nandinas also, however at our house they are known as damdinas. After you've tried to dig some of your up you'll know why. DH broke a hatchet trying to dig up some a couple of years ago. We still have some to dig yet. A tip for the poor guy that gets to do the diggin', as long as you're diggin, dig deep and get all the roots. DH dug down atleast a foot and got most of the roots.
We have a serious problem with the Tallow trees that pop up everywhere. My elephant ears are horribly invasive and so are my mexican petunias. No matter how deep I dig to get rid of either, they come right back up or there's little sprouts that pop up in various places of the yard. Oh, and the Golden Chain Tree. Lovely in late summer and early fall but I have seedlings popping up every where I don't want them.
Same could be said in my area for pine trees, they reseed like weeds.
And the oak tree seedlings drive me nuts for a couple months each spring. I spend all my spare time plucking them out of flower beds and pots. All this after I carefully rake and pick up acorns all winter.
In the woods/creek area behind my house, luckily most of the common suspects have not been found (japanese honeysuckle, nandina, privet, chinaberry). But I do have what I believe is a paper mulberry (Morus papyrifera). Originally, I hoped it was a red mulberry, but as the leaves got bigger, I discovered it was not the native. I plan on removing it, but just have not done it quite yet.
My invasive species battle has been with curly dock. There are hundreds of them in my wild area. They literally mat the ground and even grow in the muddy creek. They are h*** to remove too, because their tap roots grow as long as 10 inches and if you don't pull every last bit up, they return. I have a few other perennial and annual invasives, but none of them are as prevelent as the curly dock.
As far as natives that can be invasive, the darn elm and ash trees take the cake. The american and cedar elms seeds have been popping up everywhere in the landscaped yard and grass. The ash trees continually pop up next to the other trees in the shade of the wild area and if you cut them down they just sprout back up.
This year DH and I have pulled up thousands and thousands of cedar or winged elm seedlings. Easy to pull up the first year but if you miss one hiding under the skirts of another plant it can be much harder to get out the next year. I had thought the hackberries were bad, but for some reason the elm has really outdone itself this spring. You might want to check out these two websites.
www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/education.shtml
www.texasinvasives.org
Hackberries! I spend weeks plucking the little seedlings that the birds so graciously distribute in my flower beds.
Luckily the ones under the American Elms in the backyard, were growing on piles of elm tree flowers from this spring and all I had to do was rake them up. I do have two or three growing in the crack between the house foundation and porch pad. I can't get them out and they are just getting bigger this year. I may have to resort to a poison.
I also thought the hackberries would be the trouble makers, but this spring has brought about sooo many elm seedlings. Of course I do have two hackberries growing with the three American elms growing in the back yard. I looked up at them this weekend and I have never seen hackberry trees so covered with berries. I bet next spring there will be a bumper crop. Must be all the rain.
Yes, but what a blessing too, you will get many if those adorable Hackberry butterflies and many birds to eat the fruit.
How have you been able to keep your American Elms alive? Did you purchase them as American Elm? I thought we had some here on the ranch, but upon closer examination, it turned out that the trees were Eastern Hop Hornbeam, Ostrya virginiana. The leaves and twigs are very similar.
http://depauw.edu/univ/naturepark/natural_resources/trees/Hop%20Hornbeam.htm
I was so disappointed at first, but am getting used to the idea of not having one.
The most invasive thing I have to deal with is asparagus fern. Man, once this stuff gets a foothold, I don't think dynamite would get rid of it. The little bulb looking roots are everywhere and to top that, seedlings dropped by birds come up in all the other beds. I hate this sutff!
bettydee, they are actually native to North Texas. I did not even realize that they were fairly common here until moving into this house last year. All the trees on my lot, except for the 2 cedar elms in the front planted by the builders, are original native trees planted by nature. The American elms within my fenced portion of my back yard are actually in kind of a group. I believe that they were fence line trees the way they are lined up. Here they are soon after we moved in. http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2172776
If I remember correctly, there are 5 big trees there and 3 or 4 are American Elms and 1 or 2 are Hackberries. The neighbors also have a hackberry and cedar elm that droops over my yard. The two little trees kind of in the middle (one elm, on hackberry) were removed when we put up a hammock last year.
The American elms make an amazing canopy. Since the actual trunks are lower on the slope, some of the limbs towards the house almost touch the ground. I should take an updated, wider picture of what they look like now and post it.
I removed a few more privets today, and found a white mulberry and American silverberry that had been previously obscured. It's just like Christmas! :)
Dennis
Why are you removing the nandinas? What is the problem in the wild areas?
The tall berrying type are invading the native forests (through bird droppings). If you have one of the dwarf, non-berrying hybrids then you can leave them, but it is now suggested that the others are removed and not planted.
Speaking of birds seeding for us:
A few years back there was a dead tree outside the yard. It was covered with poison ivy. We spent many hours that summer watching the woodpeckers feast on the poison ivy berries (seeds). At one time, we counted 5 different types on that tree at the same time. How cool was that!
The next year was a prolific year for poison ivy. It popped up all around every tree in the yard...
Guess I know who to thank!
Well, 5 different types of woodpeckers at one time! It does sound like a really cool sight! Hmmmm I think that just about makes pulling up poison ivy seedlings everywhere worth it. :)
Well I made a decision today. I just pulled up about 2 dozen asparagus fern seedlings from the gravel in my gh. I crushed the seed pods and put them in the trash. Then I went and put that asparagus fern in the gh to bake til it's dead.
I am sad to hear about the nandinas. I do have a few tall ones as well as dwarf. I am still processing the info.
When I bought my house on 2A, it had 2 5+' nandinas @ 2 of 4 brick columns. 4th spring now, I will go out & cut them down to about 4'. They will get overwhelming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND they send out suckers through my beds up front.
Planted a couple of the runner/suckers, last fall & someone actually wanted the 3' tall in a 5g pot @ the Mercer Swap!!! I told them I would have more next time!
I work @ a AWESOME wholesale grower, 25A, farm. I tell my customers "if it is common, we don't grow it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Why on Earth would I want something so 'common' as nandinas?
& just to prove my point, have you ever seen a Serissa Kowloon or a Barbados Cherry?
My yard would be awesome if I didn't have the deer to thin it out!
smockette, where do you work?
TreeSearch Farms
Smockette, checked out the TSF website. sounds like a great place. Similar to where I work. Could I come for a business visit ? My husband & I want to start a small nursery in the new future, but I could also check out some things for my boss.
Ohhhh....I know Tree Search Farms! That's where our extension office gets it's plants for the annual MG sales. Neat that you work there, Smockette!
Jammins, come on down! Now that you know where I work, where do you work? Do we deliver to your job? We deliver up that way every Tues, I think.
Martha's Bloomers, Producers, Arbor Gate, A&M, ARE, etc. to name a few. Did I hit it? lol
The only problem is that am the Bus Mgr, & work @ the puter all day. So I see more plants on paper (invoices), than I do in person.
Knolan, yes, that's us! We supply Urban Harvest, Harris, & all the surrounding counties.
I work at Discount Trees. We buy all of our perenials, which is a rather small selection, but John does a tremendous amount of tree sales. (wholesale and retail) He has a large growing farm, and manages 2 other ones. Very busy man.
I'll let you know when I can come your way!
Kewl!!
Does Discount Trees belong to STNLA or TNLA?
I think I recognize the name.
John is very active in both. Seems like we are better known outside of Brenham than with the "locals"!
Are you whsl & retail? Too tired to scrool back.
If you are a grower, you are a cut above!!! My opinion!!! Personal opinion & copyrighted!
Heidi normally goes to TNLA.
I go to STNLA.
We only grow 'abnormal that will live here'. If it is common, we don't grow it!
But everything we grow has been trial'd @ the Farm for 3-5yrs, or we don't propagate it!
We have a different 'sorta kind idea' for a Farm!!!
What can I say? ? ? I wish I had a job closer to home!!!
I wish you had a job closer to home too. Would it be inappropriate for me to ask for a 'peek' into the gardens? Or even for my MG class?
No. I'm not a good tour director but would be willing to take you around. Sorry, I hadn't seen this til now & I'm in Indy for the next wk.
Thanks, Smockette! It'll just be little ole' me. Whenever you have time.
After a little more reading, I'm not sure if the elaeagnus in the woods out back is the native variety (commutata). I couldn't find a good website that would help me identify the variety. Can anyone help?
Thanks!
Dennis
Dennis, here is the Native; http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/53487
and the two non natives which are invasive;
http://www.texasinvasives.org/Invasives_Database/Results/Detail.asp?Symbol=ELAN
http://www.texasinvasives.org/Invasives_Database/Results/Detail.asp?Symbol=ELUM
I hope that helps you find out which one you have.
Josephine.