NO, NO, NO! They're pretty trees, but terribly invasive in this part of the country. There are sections along I59 near Trusville that have been taken over by them. That one that moved into your back yard is just the harbinger of things to come. Beware. ;-)

P.S. They're also MESSY.

I have one , a large one that shades half of my small front yard. They are beautiful but they produce so many seeds that nothing seems to eat ( they're probably toxic ). It is a constant battle trying to keep them out of my raised beds ,the seedlings that is .

Only if you want to be battling Mimosa seedlings forever. They put down tremendously long taproots that are difficult to extract very early in their existence. And the seeds! So many of them. Look along the streets and the interstate. The reason there are so many mimosa trees crowing out the native trees is the prolific nature of the seeding adn the aggressiveness of the seedlings.

kay

I agree with everyone else here.....I wouldn't do it if I were you. There's one somewhere in my neighborhood but I've yet to find it, nevertheless it still carpets my beds with seedlings. Tonite I'll take a pic of an area that I didn't get weeded this w/e to show you what everyone is talking about. It's too bad that they behave this way, because they do definitely have a tropical look about them. I was at the B'ham Zoo a couple of weeks ago & they have a large one at the entrance to the new Trails of Africa exhibit. While it did add an exotic look to the area, I still wouldn't want to battle the thousands of seedlings it will produce.

I've been trying to figure out something. My folks had a huge mimosa in Dallas, TX and we had one in Tyler, TX. Both were in St. Augustine lawns and I never observed the seedlings that I've read about often on GW. Love the look, would love to plant one, but .....................

NO NO NO Definetly NO!

They are the reason my yard is a jungle. They throw seeds everywhere and grow (it seems) 20 ft in one year. If you cut one down, they grow shoots back in few days. VERY hard to get rid of. I'd say just about as bad as kudzu!

DONT DO IT!

:)
Jackie

I love them . . . as long as they're no closer than 100 miles from my house. I've started calling them "your mosas" because I don't want them to be "my mosas".

Thanks all for the feedback! I took the good advice and it has been cut down and is sitting on the curbside for this weeks pick-up.

You'd better treat the stump with undiluted Roundup or it will come back. If the nub has dried, try to cut it back a little more so the RU can get into the roots.

Glad to hear you decided against it.....very, very wise decision.
Here's what I contend with on a regular basis. Again, I have no idea where all these seedlings come from as I've actually driven thru my neighborhood looking for the culprit in a neighborhood yard but have yet to find it. Who knows how far they drift in from. Hate em!!

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john,
i believe you have the annual weed called chamberbitter or gripeweed in your plantings rather than mimosa tree seedlings.
it seeds itself with great abandon if allowed to mature and you will have them again next season. also has a long taproot which makes it difficult to pull up in dry soil.

Here is a link that might be useful: chamberbitter

Wow, you learn something new every day! Must admit, I've never heard of chamberbitter, but I see it's also sometimes called "little mimosa" and in pics I've found online it looks almost identical to mimosa. Thanks for the info, jeff.

Ugly stuff. I think I have both growing in my natural area.I will definitely try the RU ( Kill-Zall) method on the stumps. I also have a Privett bush I need snuff out for good.

Well, thanks for responding, John. I wasn't sure about it being Chamberbitters. But the growth habit, to me, made it worth mentioning to you....just to see what you thought.

Here's the good thing about the Chamberbitters: it's an annual weed, though prolifically self-seeding (as we can all see in your pictures). But it can be controlled if you get in there with a pre-emergent herbicide at the right time of year.

What time would that be, you ask? I'd have to look it up as I don't remember right off the bat.

NOT THAT THIS SHOULD DETRACT ONE WHIT FROM THE FACT THAT ALBIZZIA IS A NOXIOUS WEED! But it appears that John's thick ground cover is a Euphoribia by the common name of Chamberbitters.

I have a small mimosa at the edge of my yard that I have cut off and sprayed with Round Up at least three times. It keeps coming back. I am going to try a brush killer, undiluted, now. It is the toughest weed I have encountered.

Susan

I use 2,4-D to kill stubborn stumps. Years ago I worked part-time for a timber company, and that's what they used to kill hardwood trees to make room for the hand-planted pine seedlings. I still feel guilty about killing all those beautiful trees.

Stopped by Meyers Nursey in Pelham today and noticed they had a couple of "Summer Chocolate " Mimosa's for sale.These were dark burgundy in color. First time I have noticed them being sold. Wonder if we will start seeing these in the coming years growing wild.

Chocolate Mimosas have been around for quite some time. Sad to say that they also seed prolifically, but since the gene for that dark color is a recessive one, we'll just be plagued by more green mimosas.

Drew, we were at Myer's yesterday & happened to notice those chocolate mimosas. I'm really surprised you didn't buy two or three of them, since they were only $69.99 each. LOL

Couldn't believe all the caladiums they have there. Their entire shade house is practically all caladiums now, and they had quite a few that I'd never seen before.

Call the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, the Plant Protection Unit and report them. They followed up on a call I made when I saw a 'Summer Chocolate' mimosa at the garden center of Home Depot. It was removed the next time i visited. A part of their duties is to ensure that plants on the invasive noxious weed list are not sold within the State. The number is (334) 240-7225

If I could sell mimosa leaves and kudzu leaves for a penny apiece, I could retire a rich man.

For $ 70 I would expect a full grown Chocolate covered Mimosa. I have some family pasture land in Clay County which is covered with Mimosa,Privitte,Kudzu,and Wisteria we bush hog to keep under control. I just need to cultivate one up there to enjoy. As messy and invasive as they are it would do no harm on the edge of our property.

Very funny, bama. :-)

I love my Mimosa.

My mower gets rid of most of the seedlings. I have had a few settle in places that my mower doesn't get to, I just cut them and sometimes put Round-up (undiluted) on them.

John - Obviously you don't live in my neighborhood....you could tell the culprit right away. :)
Mine shades half my house and is in the front yard. One thing I would have done differently was to have kept it away from the driveway. Every morning I need to wash my windshield from the flowers, seeds etc... falling on it, but besides that I love my Mimosa.

Hmmm, I didn't know that Elaeagnus was on an invasive species list for Alabama. Knowing that now, I'm surprised that ALDOT uses it so much along our state highways. Has it been a relatively recent addition to the list, or do these two agencies just not communicate very well? And should nurseries not be selling it, as Jeff commented about mimosa?

Very good questions, John. I became aware of the status of "ugly-agnus" some years ago as it began to overtake some parts of Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, along the Tennessee River. I also remember it blanketing natural areas when I lived in SC.

The fact that two government agencies are not in communication or cooperation doesn't surprise me ONE bit, though. One needs to help the other find a plant that does the same kind of job at preventing soil erosion that this plant does, without risk to our native environment.