We have a problem! We have an illegal and invasive plant on our property and we need to deal with it. In this episode I will cover the back story and how this plant became a part of our garden.
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43 Comments
I’m in SE Michigan and have grown many cultivars of butterfly bush for over 30 years. I’m a seasoned master gardener and garden professionally. I did not see volunteer butterfly bushes for much of my gardening career until about five years ago. I believe with climate change, potentially butterfly bush may become a issue in the coming years
I was looking in my front yard where I hadn't planted a thing! Most of the plants were "invasive" and had—obviously enough—invaded!
we have one in a pollinator garden.
Amazing what a few thousand feet of elevation will do, Buddlea is considered an annual here in Cheyenne, WY, rare for it to to two years.
Bradford pears used to be sterile
Mint and oregano are invasive. Dill is invasive. Doesn't necessarily make it bad.
Keep it!
They are not hosts to anything here. I replaced mine with a button bush and it’s pretty in every season
I have 2. They are not invasive.
with the decline of the bee populations I wouldn't pull out any plant that supports the bees
Hmmmm I bought a butterfly bush a few years ago at a nursery in MI. Screw the woke leftists.
This goes for ALL invasive species. I didnt even know that burning bush OR butterfly bush were invasive up until about 2 years ago.
https://youtu.be/XBINTv6LN_A?si=AWUrbqw1JE-dDDMU
I am in China ! And has seen this in parks and roadsides , never even noticed it until u mentioned ! so i asked a few oldies here (natural wikipedias) its mostly found in hilly areas during warm weather , its used in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine ) for curing cough , as per oldies it has amount of cafaine and codine (cant be sure ) asthma meds and cough meds are made out of this ..or its one of the components of those meds ! and as here it does have viable seeds so it hrows exponentialy amd takes over weaker plants !
I got my butterfly bush at our local nursery. If they were dangerous to the local wildlife on a big scale, I wouldn't think they would sell it. I would think being in the midwest we are far enough away from the west coast to do any harm.
Keep it
My butterfly bush has never spread.
We bought butterfly bushes from the store in central OK. Can't seem to keep this species alive.
I appreciate your honesty. This is good conversation to have.
Be utilitarian
I bought one from Lowes this summer as a plant.put it in a wrong spot and need to move it, it is too close to my strawberries and over shadowing them.
if you want only natives you will have to give up tomatoes, corn, wheat and many other things
Don't just put your foot down. Stopping imports would affect more than you realize. Like the fish (tropical fish) industry. There has been much chatter to ban all imports. But there are many many fish keepers who are trying to save endangered species and if imports are stopped, we won't be able to help out. I'm sure the same goes for endangered reptiles. Maybe the bans should be on those big box pet stores, instead. 🤷♀️
We have two here in NM, although our blooms are only half as large so perhaps a different variety. The bushes get large but have not spread. They're actually encouraged here by nurseries and landscapers. Love how they draw the pollinators.
I always dead head mine here in Seattle. I prune it radically. In fact, I nearly killed it last year. It's a beauty that I am growing in the shade under a fir tree. Soil is dry. Flowers never set.
I just bought one this summer from a local Michigan nursery. This is going to make me think twice about what I purchase in the future. I'd never heard anything negative about butterfly bushes until after I bought it. Also many years ago, I purchased Loosestrife from a nursery and had it in my front yard. It has since died.
Very thoughtful video. Thank you!
Since it doesn’t reseed, I would keep it. Butterflies use all kinds of flowers for nectar, and each uses its own host plant for caterpillar food.
I see a lot of these in gardens in so cal
My family home in Milford Michigan has 10 of them they grow in a straight row . We love them and have had them for yrs.Our 10 bushes have never reproduced. Enjoying our Butterfly Bushes in Milford Michigan.
I had a mimosa tree in california and it didn't spread at all, now in Georgia at the other house we found on in the yard and for all the time we lived there my mom was pulling them out by the hundreds, she was pulling them every day. So annoying! Seed want to grow. Also the wisteria, so invasive here…. Use your best judgement, the thing that attracts wild life but it's a host for bad bugs, that sucks! Have a blessed weekend Luke!🤗💕
I couldn't be without the beautiful smell, birds also feed on the seed heads, Which help spread it, but i just pull them when they are young. But in your case i would probably dead head before it goes to seed. Pick flowers for your home. You are aware of it's potential all you got to do is be mindful, you don't necessarily have to get rid of it in my opinion.
Interesting! I didn’t know these were illegal in my state and I have two in my garden. I planted from seed years ago (wasn’t easy, all seeds failed but 1) & so I propagated the other I have (also not easy, 1 success from dozen cuttings.) These are a few years old and no seeds, no volunteers, no sprouts. The flowers last longer than anything else through hot summer into fall, so I had liked them for the bees & butterflies. But they do take up too much in my beds.
Don,t pull it up it s not hurt anything so for
Keep it. If it's not producing viable seeds, I don't see a problem. I want one now just to bring in the bees and butterflies.
Just bought one this spring and I really like it. I plan on keeping it. You should keep it since it doesn't seem to be spreading. How sad you are just going to kill it 😢
He talks like he's being played at 1.5× speed
I live in northern Illinois and I actually bought it from a local nursery. I planted it at least 10 years ago and it has never seeded.
Just wanted to note that just because you don't see it spreading across your property, it doesn't mean it's not spreading. The seeds can disperse pretty far.
Sometimes leave well enough alone. I have a few butterfly bushes. If you do pull it out, replace with Bottlebrush Buckeye or lead plant.
you know what else isn't native to the area? americans 🙂
I have one here in Ohio. I got it 13 years ago on a clearance rack. It has only grown where I planted it. It comes back every year only where I planted it. I decided to keep it. I won't plant anymore but I do enjoy it in my yard.
I have 4 butterfly bushes in my yard here in North Carolina.
Would caution against thinking that species from across the ocean are 100% going to ‘destroy’ the environment. Nature has always been about survival of the fittest and cross-pollination between continents has happened repeatedly in the past prior to humans. That being said, it is 100% a valuable and beautiful goal to preserve a land in a state that it has been for centuries past so that posterity can enjoy the uniqueness of biomes.