VERY OT Me, again, with another update

I'm totally amazed at this info- tho I do not doubt your word.

My butterfly bushes haven't ever spread too much or caused me any grief. In all these years that I've had them, Susan found a baby sucker plant on my lavender butterfly bush this spring- first time for that on any of my butterfly bushes (to my knowledge).

As far as daylilies, we have the original wild variety growing alongside the roads (as well as wild daffodils and an amazing array of native plants that have lovely blooms), but they are not in huge masses or look like they are choking anything out. I worked for the MO Dept. of Conservation for several years and butterfly bushes and daylilies were not mentioned in any of the plant booklets as being pests or regulated.

My daylilies in my yard get bigger and more robust every year- which makes me very happy- so I divide them and spread them throughout my flower beds. I'm not familiar with Scotch Broom.

Patti, you should prolly check with the local authorities- altho most nurseries will not ship particular plants to states that have laws against them or find them to be pest-type plants.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

They grow here in the high desert. I have one that I haven't killed but have killed several. House behind us had one that would smell good for a long time every year. I don't imagine they would be problematic here.

Scotch broom I know. I have several of those and they are have pretty yellow flowers that are really fragrant and pretty. You see them along the Cajon pass on I-15 here between LA and Vegas. Lots of them in the mountains here too. They do seed themselves very easily. That is how I have several.

I just went and did some nosing around:

Leslie & The Furbabies > I'm totally amazed at this info- tho I do not doubt your word.

Very often it is just the species plants that are a pest |(we have a problem with rhododendron ponticum over here). The hybrid cultivars should be fine, I would think. . In message , fran writes

Please remember that it's only a butterfly *bush* if you chop it back each year - it you don't (like i didn't) they turn into tree's! mine was 15 ft high when i hacked it back last week. it *was* stunning with beautiful white flowers but as it was behind the back door it was blocking my way out so it had to go (and this made my neibours *very* happy as the tree was blocking thier light!)

mine was at least 13 years old and AFAIK never produced a sucker though it did produce a baby - i found it growing by the door to the shed.

hth

Jessamy

That's good to know! I regularly have hosta damage from deer. I have also lost a couple other plants to deer..."burning bush" and a few others. I had a butterfly bush for about two years....but it didn't last. I hesitate to blame it on the deer....could have been any number of problems. Maybe I'll try again.

Leslie, we are gonna go for it and get a couple from this place. Question - when do you plant them? We need to cut down a couple trees first.....

Karen, Queen of Squishies

Hi Karen, YAY! I'm going to order a couple from them too..... I asked Leslie the same question about "when to plant", and she steered me to the photos on the Wayside Gardens site, under "specifications". They say for fall planting. So.... you have time! I think I'll order mine the end of August or so, after we get through the worst of the summer heat.

Patti in Seattle

Thanks, Patti. Now, do you know if they send at planting time for my zone? Most places do, I think.

Karen, Queen of Squishies

These plants are TOUGH! I've bought them at my local nursery's end-of-season close-out sale in the heat of mid-July and they did just fine. I watered well and mulched heavily and kept them damp. No problem! I'd order the butterfly bushes soon as they can sell out on certain items. That way you'll have your plant(s) reserved for you. They should be shipping the plants at the proper planting time- they are a very good and knowledgeable nursery there at Wayside.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I have butterfly bushes coming up all over the place--that are volunteer plants from just one bush. Pesky things. Some I leave where they sprout and others get thrown out. I do love the smell. In colder climates you are supposed to cut them back almost to the ground in March for them to really blossom in the summer.

Gen

Listed as invasive: scotch broom - CA, ID, MA, OR, WA Daylily - MD Butterfly bush - WA

as per Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Invasice Plants:Weeds of the Global Garden book and The Nature Conservany invasive weed list

I only remembered the daylily becaue I couldn't believe it. I suspect they mean the wild variety, not the cutivars. I have found that one of the best ways to tell if a plant is listed as invasive is Wayside Garden's Cannot Ship To notes on thier products.

Just yesterday afternoon, I found out Butterfly Bush was considered invasive here...... I'm so bummed! There's a little nursery here that I love to frequent, and I stopped in yesterday to ask about them. She looked at me like I was nuts.... lol. She refuses to sell them, said she hates them, because they will take over a yard, flower bed, whatever and squeeze everything else out before you even know what happened. She said this past summer, someone on her street just had one removed, that was apprx 20 ft tall and 15 ft wide. It was wrapping itself around a nearby evergreen tree and killing it. Go figure!! I guess they thrive in our environment, as our winters are not harsh enough to cause dormancy. Some nurseries do sell them, because there's a difference between "invasive" and "noxious". She said if I DO plant one, to be very watchful...... I think I'll pass. Sounds a little scary.

So - sweet Leslie....... that was SUCH a good idea for a few days, anyway. I'll just have to enjoy everyone else's!! So, I'm back on the hunt for something pretty and fragrant, that will bloom for the summer, and can take LOTS of sun! Thanks for all your hard work and info though!

Patti in Seattle

snipped-for-privacy@volcanomail.com (fran) wrote: Listed as invasive: scotch broom - CA, ID, MA, OR, WA Daylily - MD Butterfly bush - WA

as per Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Invasice Plants:Weeds of the Global Garden book and The Nature Conservany invasive weed list I only remembered the daylily becaue I couldn't believe it. I suspect they mean the wild variety, not the cutivars. I have found that one of the best ways to tell if a plant is listed as invasive is Wayside Garden's Cannot Ship To notes on thier products.

Patti-

I hate to have you not enjoy the beauty and fragrance of some butterfly bushes. How about planting them in some really big pots? That way they would be pretty much self limited due to the size of the root ball and you could easily keep them pruned down to manageable size. Please think about it?

And asking the nursery for suggestions for fragrant plants that thrive in your climate is a good idea, too.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

You might want to try summersweet - it rivals butterfly bush for scent and is native here in NC. It only blooms in July, but oh, it's worth it! It grows about 4' X 4' and blooms on old wood. I prune 1/3 out every year in fall.

Howdy!

Crape myrtles are great for warm/hot dry areas. For attract> Just yesterday afternoon, I found out Butterfly Bush was considered

Butterfly milkweed (asclepias sp.) is excellent for attracting butterflies, especially monarchs and seems to tolerate a wide range of conditions. Penta is good in full sun as are passionflower vines. My back fence is covered and they are a host plant for Gulf Fritillary butterflies, if you have those in your neighborhood.

I have had a whole bunch of butterflies, hummingbirds, and honeybees in my front yard this year. I would have expected them to be most drawn to the mallows (hollyhock, and zebrina), monarda, scabiosa, or the morning glories. They seem fond enough of those, but what they all go for right off the bat are the carnations. Simple gillyflowers, plain old fashioned fenbow's nutmeg carnations, one of the simplest most common and least expensive varieties you can get. I put them in for the wine and tinctures and what have you. The butterflies and honeybees also seem very keen on the moss rose bed. Those are the easiest thing to grow. Just mix the seed with some sand and rake it over where nothing else will come up. I seeded more in this year to get more of certain colors, but last years bunch (from dollar store seed) reseeded very well indeed. So it was not necessary from a make sure you get some standpoint.

My butterfly bush actually failed. I put it in what should have been an optimal spot last fall and it never came up this spring. I think part of it may have been the wierd spring we had with the repeated freeze and thaw and late snows. Though the rose of sharon in it's far less optiomal spot is thriving. Once they are established buddleia seems to do well enough here, apparently it is that first year or so that is tricky. I am one zone to cold for the things to be garaunteed though.

NightMist