Out of Control

20 years ago

That's the title of an article on the front page of the Living section in the AJC today. The article addresses the topic of invasive exotics in Georgia, particularly the fact that some of these plants are still being sold in nurseries. No, you won't find Kudzu in the nursery, but you will find:

- English ivy

- Variegated privet, waxleaf privet

- Mimosa (new cultivar now available)

- Chinese wisteria

Several other plants are available from specialty places (Princess tree, lespedeza). And some plants, treasured for their old fashioned popularity are traded among gardeners (japanese honeysuckle, japanese climbing fern, and others).

It's a well balanced article, mentioning that very few of exotic plants distribute invasive characteristics (but when they're bad, they're REALLY bad). It also talks about efforts to work with the nursery industry to either get these plants out of the trade or put "warning labels" on them.

Educating the public to steer away from these plants (and replace them if you have them) is also key to stopping the spread. I know some people feel that it is too late to make a difference, but I still have enough optimism left to feel that it's not too late.

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Comments (7)

buford
20 years ago
I must have pulled out 1000 mimosa plants from my yard this year. If I find the bugger in my neighborhood who had one of these, I may kill them.

I do have a wisteria, but it's still tiny. I'm surprised they do not mention honeysuckle. I saw it in a nursery. I can certainly pot up some of mine and sell it.
quirkyquercus
20 years ago
Did it mention flowering ornamental pears?
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Iris GW
Original Author
20 years ago
No, they did not mention ornamental pears ... too bad!

buford, was it japanese honeysuckle that you saw for sale? You can usually find honeysuckle cultivars in nurseries ... they are usually better behaved. Many of them are cultivars of the native honeysuckle (sometimes cross bred with others).
ichabod
20 years ago
Buford, are you sure it's mimosa in your yard? If you have thousands of them it sounds more like gripeweed, aka chamberbitter. Has the seeds underneath the leaf on the stem.

http://georgiafaces.caes.uga.edu/storypage.cfm?storyid=2888
http://www.walterreeves.com/lawns/article.phtml?cat=6&id=524
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/62412/index.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/chamberbitter
http://www.co.santa-rosa.fl.us/extension/articles/02chamberbitter.html

Ichabod
ilikemud_2006
20 years ago
I have something that looks exactly like mimosa, it's not gripeweed. The little leaves are narrower and it has yellow flowers. What is it?
buford
19 years ago
OOOHI guess I should apologize to my neighbor for cutting down their mimosa tree....

Only kidding! Thanks for the tip.

As far as the honeysuckle goes, it looked just like the wild honeysuckle. Perhaps it was different. I actually like my honeysuckle, but cut it back when it gets out of line or goes up young trees that I am trying to grow.
eddie1
19 years ago
I have 3 distinctly different plants in my yard that are sort of invasive and they all resemble a miniature mimosa. I stay right on top of them with weeding and spraying.