Invasive Plants have gotten loose in your garden

I agree with Katye about not all plants deemed invasive act the same in all situations. For instance, English Ivy wouldn't take over at the South Pole! But here in the PNW our climate and soil supports amazing proliferation. According to a professor (forgot his name) from Univ of Oregon who is a guru regarding invasives, it is important for us to consider not just how a plant will do in our own gardens, but what it will do in the wild. Seeds can travel many many miles so invasive seeds from the heart of the city can end up in the wilderness. The problem occurs when plants choke out the natives. A big example is the Ailanthus tree - it's roots spread far and cause chemical reactions, but it's seeds also blow far in the wind and are carried by birds. Where these seedlings become established they leave a chemical in the soil that retards the growth of other plants, thereby eliminating it's competition. When I first moved here I wanted to have Queen Ann's Lace but my neighbor the garden designer was fast to stop me!
I did some research on this because the more I heard the more confused I got, so I decided to get reliable information. It is an interesting topic, and so important that in some areas the planting of some species is forbidden by law. That kind of law about plants is fine with me - it has nothing to do with "looks" but everything to do with preserving our wonderful natives. I decided that for myself, there are so many great plants that I will avoid those that are questionable! Before I became aware of bad guys I tossed some wild flower seeds in the garden and now I pull them out when they begin to flower. The came in a mix that I ordered and several bad guy seeds were in the mix. Since I don't know how to distinguish one wildflower from another I pull them all out. I thought it was such a grand idea but what did I know?
Kayte - I also have my mint in pots! So many things I've had to learn the hard way!

I will emphasize what Katye said about location of plants making a big difference in how they perform. I have several that I would qualify as "horribly hard to contain" in my current garden that were quite tame at my last house, less than 30 miles away. Experience is the best teacher...trial and error under a watchful eye....

Chives!!!! Do not ever let chives get loose in your yard... OI-VEY!!

Oh no! I have chives! But they have been in my herb garden since March and they seem ok. Tell me more! What do I watch for?

Pull off the flower heads! That's how they spread. I had them take over an ENTIRE large bed in one summer. I was pulling out chives for years, but I do love their flavor. As someone else stated it may have just been the "perfect conditions" for them, but I was not happy! That was 20 years ago and I have NEVER put them in again. I was traumatized...lolol

I will pull off all the flower heads. I also love chives. I learn stuff everyday on DG!

Thanks for all the very thoughtful replies. I can't wait to see this allegedly vigorous English ivy. It's barely hardy here in Illinois, and ratty looking when it does survive.

And this info comes none too soon! I had actually deadheaded my 2 chive plants, intending to bring the seeds WITH me. They do not spread here. But I got an object lesson of High's advice when my container of chive heads got a little rain in it. MILLIONS of sprouts just like that!

And a lot of people are writing about our ivy:

http://www.ivyout.org/

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=969&storyType=garde

http://www.rainyside.com/features/pest_watch/Pest_Ivy.html

Hi Kathy! How have you been?

Mint - oh, it would survive a nuclear bomb, I think. Spreads by runners, and they are stealthful. Went right through 3 large Rhody rootballs, under the stairs & into another bed. But very nice in a contained situation. Chives - the flower blossoms are fabulous to saute' in olive oil - I use them this way. Agreat substitute for Onions in a recipe. Especially if you don't like Onions.
Ivy - it's a tree, and grows a trunk. I had to eradicate a pretty "needlepoint" ivy (tiny leaf) after it was in a garden bed for 3 years. the trunk went down a few feet, and wasn't easy to remove, but I did get it out. Never again. I am trying to get rid of the ivy out of the Doug Firs - it goes up the trunks & round-up didn't work.

Kayte, it's not hard to get rid of the ivy going up the douglas firs. You just cut the stems going up the tree, cutting a piece a couple of inches long at least so that the cut parts cannot grow together. After a few days the leaves will begin to die of course, and then look hideous for awhile until they all blow off. Then the vines can be pulled off or just left to die. We had ivy, big and old, on almost all of our douglas fir trees when we moved in. After treating the climbing part, we weed whacked the stuff on the ground and then used heavy wet cardboard and a smother mulch for about a year. That took care of it. We still pull seedlings, but that's because people let the ivy climb. That's when it flowers and goes to seed. If people left it on the ground it would not be as bad a problem. There are some variegated ivies that are more easily controlled than the usual kind. The idea, though, is you can't just plant it and forget it.

summerkid, don't worry. You'll see plenty of ivy. Your climate and ours are radically different and our wet winters keep some things from being invasive here when they are very invasive in the midwest.

Now, see, chives are not at all agressive in my garden. I've had a patch for years and it stays just a patch. No seedlings. How strange!
Don't be too fretful about that list. I think you'll find that there are many amazing plants that you can grow without any worry at all. And the rest, as you get more experience with your own environment, you'll be able to use your judgement on whether they can be contained to your own yard or not.

Omigosh, and can you imagine how thrilled I'll be to have roses & rhododendrons & quick-spreading groundcovers? Maybe even citrus under cover? It'll be glorious!

Summer - you will be blown away at the wide variety of plants that do well here. Also - the availability is tremendous. So many Nurseries.....and remember to keep a box of tissues with you - drooling is a natural reaction.
You are limited by space & temperature. But if I remember correctly, you will have a place to overwinter.

Many of us have things to share, so you might want to post what you like or are looking for. The growing season is long, and is much cooler (normally) than what you are used to.

Oh, right, and I owe someone Iberis. Is it you? I have a mature stand of hosta to divide & bring because I know it doesn't harbor Virus X (Krossa regal, elegans, Fragrant blue) ... and a dozen Palace Purple heuchera & Black Scallop ajuga, Prairie Sun rudbeckia, horseradish, tulip poplar saplings, pinky-yellow chrysanthemums, Black Jack & several groundcover sedums, sunflowers galore, amaranth galore. Speak up, anyone, before my neighbors pick me clean!

I think stir frying the chive heads might be really good! Great tip...

I have my chocolate mint in a pot. The person who gave me the start said "consider yourself forewarned...lol The start arrived small enough to fit in the palm of my hand and in less then 3 months...it's filled out a 14" pot and is about 8" tall...lol YIKES...

I don't know if any of you knew Ned Hudson in here? He was from Alaska and passed away last year. He was such a great guy (several of us from WA had met him in person at the Gig Harbor garden tour). In his passing (and the posts on the memory thread in here) we learned he posted regularly on about 5 different chat boards. Anyhow...we had jokingly re-named him "Mintman" because he grew so many kinds of mint. One of the gals had gotten some mint starts from him the year prior to his passing and she shared starts with several us. The chocolate mint SMELLS like chocolate! Anyhow... even he WARNED you had to keep it under control.

PS~
There is a weed like native looking plant growing on the side of the road I pass every day going to work. It's very similar to "Malva" only smaller flowers. Sort of like French Hollyhocks. It's a TRUE BLUE! I have been thinking of nabbing a few seed heads and planting it here. I just checked WA states noxious weed list and I don't see it there. Hmmmmmmmmm.....I'll try to leave early today and sneak a photo of it. I love any TRUE BLUE flower.

Summer,
Bring all of your stuff to the Roundup. We will all be here with lots of plants, cuttings, seeds to share with everyone. I would love to have some of your plants, I like them all.
I have a bunch of Echies and Lavendar that I have grown from seed that I have been babying in little pots for the RU.

Speaking of invasive plants, how do you ever get rid of bindweed? I didn't have any until we brought in some bamboo that had it growing with them. I thought I had pulled it all off of them,but NO, it is happy here and refuses to die. It is strangling my bamboo!

The only way to get RID of bindweed is to MOVE....lol

Schworry....not funny. That stuff is horrible! It grows into ropes if given the chance.

NASTY...

poof*

Lynn, I am afraid Highmtn is right, with the exception of one detail...

move AND don't take any of your plants with you, so that that teeny tiny little lurking chunk of bindweed root lurking in your favorite posey doesn't move with you!

oh oh oh! I know! I know! Call on me!

Ed Hume spoke of a great way to do in the Bindweed: Take a clean large jar - quart-size or so, remove the lid & make an opening in it about 2" X 1/4" (punch several holes in a row with a nail, then push these through). Thread the ends of the Bindweed through the lid. place 1/4 to 1/2 cup Round-up or Brush-be-Gone into the jar along with a couple drops of liquid dishsoap. Insert the threaded bindweed vine ends into the jar to immerse them, screw lid back on. Leave this for a week or so. The plant will take up the solution. (3 or 4 vine ends can go into 1 jar.) This allows you to concentrate the chemical on the plant, rather than wide-spread spraying, plus cats & dogs cannot get into it.
I did not dilute the round-up & this worked for me. However - I did not have tons of bindweed, either. This may have to be repeated a couple more times to completely eradicate.

Or you can use the 'Hand of Death' approach. It, too, uses Roundup full strength. You get some surgical gloves and then some cotton gloves. Put the surgical gloves on to protect yourself and then the cotton gloves over them. Pour full strength roundup or brush killer into a container that is big enough for your hand to easily fit inside, preferably with a handle for easy carrying. Dip hand into solution and gently squeeze fingers so drips go into the container. Then gently stroke the bindweed lovingly getting it very wet with the solution. Move on to next patch.

The worst thing you can do with bindweed is pull it out. You'll pull one plant and end up with three as each tiny piece of root left behind will sprout into a new plant. Nice, huh?

Thank you for the advice. My todo list for today included pulling out more bindweed. Alas, I have already pulled out tons of it, not knowing I was encouraging its spread. So now, more Roundup is on my shopping list for the day.

My other aggressively invasive growing monster is my black pot pile. What started out as a few hidden behind the barn, waiting patiently to be reused, has now evolved into a huge plastic mountain. I have pots of all sizes, including some really big ones. So if anyone wants pots, please come get them. I hate to just throw them away.

I am familiar with this pile: its brother lives at my place!

LOL, Wouldn't it's brother like to be reunited with his kin ? I can arrange the move to your house. If I keep this up, it is going to have its own real estate address.

Nice try, Lynn!
I am going to hang onto the very large pots (3-5 gal), so I will discuss this with you. The rest are going to be reunited with any & all kin. But I would love to think that somewhere out there is a person that wants to start nursery stock, and could use them...

That was my thought, also. I would rather help out the small start up nursery, than just recycle them.

LOL @ hand of death.

Years ago we had a friend who worked for the EPA and he brought us some round up. We had just bought a place that needed a ton of work. A lot of tall grass had grown up THROUGH the shrubs. I put several cotton balls into a small zip lock... Round Up (full strength) into the baggie (just enough to make the cotton balls good and wet. Then I gently grabbed the top 6" of grass/seed heads forced into the baggie. I did have a towel right under my working area to catch any drips. I'd kind of squish it around and make sure nothing was dripping when I backed it out. After squishing it around a few times the Round UP got more foamy...so it was pretty easy to do. Took me a few weeks of being very diligent, but eventually I got it allll out.

I've used Round Up with a paint brush too...lol I had some dandelions come up in my hens and chicks. I didn't want to disturb the bed so I very carefully use a small paint brush to just wipe R/U onto the dandelion leaves. That also worked..lol

Katye
Maybe try Freecycle or Craigslist for those pots. You'll have people swarm in like ants at a picnic taking them off your hands.

This message was edited Jul 24, 2009 5:53 AM

My pots were once stacked up in an orderly manner. Now they are just tossed in there willy nilly. I do have to get rid of some of them, so Pony, you get first picks!

Highmtn, that is a good idea to put some RoundUp in a baggie with cotton balls or a small paint brush. That would fit easily in a pocket for quick touch ups - Death Balls.

mine are neatly sorted & stacked & the large spiders are very pleased: Spidey Pot Condos!

Hmmmm... and here I thought I had the corner on Spidey Pot Condos! But Katye, do you have the Slug Pot Condos that are made up of the fourpacks and sixpacks?

No Julie - my spideys are more into the urban loft style condo...LOL! The only reason they are stacked nice & neat is because my doggie-girls found it quite amusing to grab them & run out to various parts of the property to stash. Then, settle down on the lawn to chew one up. I had plastic bits everywhere & that is NOT including their poop. They just liked killing the pots by shredding them to bits. Very irritating.
When I stacked them I made sure some of the displaced spideys were able to relocate in nicer digs...
=:0)

Katye,

I have tried to stack mine neatly over the last couple of years as it makes it much easier to find what I am looking for when I want to use one. In addition, it turns the mountain into only a slightly gianormous mound. Unfortunately, stacking hasn't as of yet kept my pups from playing the plastic chewing game. They will merely pull off the top four or so of the four our six packs and tear off into the woods with them to divide and conquer.....and YES...shred all over my world. Must be the satisfaction of the "krinkle" when being chewed which is the lure, as I can't imagine they are very tasty!

I AM lucky - my doggie-girls have not figured out how to pull them down. Maybe because I shoved the pots together firmly. Pot tower deluxe...
Picking up tiny pieces of black plastic took a very long time, so you have my empathy.
Krinkle, crunch, gnaw, gnaw, gnaw, shake, kill, crunch....

OMG

...if we were all required to POST photos of our "pot stash"...lol... I be mortified. Carl reorganized mine awhile back because he knows I hate spiders. They were a mess...lol

Phyllostachys vivax - giant timber bamboo. I have a grove planted about 10 years ago with wich I have a love/hate relationship. Didn't know about barriers and running bamboos at the time. Don't want to eradicate the whole grove but would love to contain it (easier said than done at this point.) Perhaps we should just move...

Hi Herpst - How nice to see you here again! I think it's been at least a couple years...
concrete works well as a barrier!

I just heard them on the news referring to Washington's growing 'pot problem'? Do you think they've been reading this thread?

I live across the street from a nursery that takes in orphan pot collections. So I just trot over there with an arm load when I get too many, but just recently I have been using them to put plants in for the round up and for some plant fund-raisers. This is the first year I have had little seedlings spring up around their mama plants and a few clumps to divide.

Funny Kathy. I hope we don't get censored for our really very innocent conversation.

Yes, Kathy - I do. they are watching us. closely.
Pot ghettos, pot towers, pot condos, and pots overwintering inside - hard core we are!

When I heard him say that I had a vision of houses across the city with yards loaded with 1 gallon black pots . . .

Some kind of raspberries. Completely not worth the trouble in my garden. Today, ripped them out completely and felt much, much better. Replacing with well behaved perennials.

Herpst! Howdy!