Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I purchased 3 small Showy Primrose plants in April and while they are beautiful, they are growing all over the place! I have noticed that roots and leaves are coming up through the mulch and I am afraid it will overtake the rest of the plants in the flowerbed. I normally research plants and I can't believe that I didn't realize it is invasive. Points lost for me. Ugh, anyway, should I pull it out now and will it that work? I have heard the roots are hard to kill on these things.
My DIL gave us quite a few of these, but unfortunately they didn't make the 6 hour trip home. I threw them on the edge of our woods, maybe if they are as invasive as you say, they will root themselves.
Oh no, not maybe, they ARE invasive. I read that they are not an easy plant to transplant so I don't know if it would take root if they were already dying or dead. I am just annoyed at myself for not researching the plant. I looked over reviews and while alot of people liked them, it got overwhelming negative reviews for being extremely invasive. I do NOT want that to become an issue, especially in the yard. I already have that problem with garlic chives that are a lovely reminder of the previous owners.
Some members of the evening primrose family are more capable of, shall we say, spreading than others and I had several that were quite well behaved. If it makes you feel any better I did something along the same lines when looking for something to fill in a hot and dry spot at the edge of a newly created garden. I saw the label, had good experience with the other plants from the same family in a previous garden (different zone where this one does not make it) and with a label that read "easy to grow" and "attractive to bees and butterflies" I decided to give it a whirl.
Fast forward to the end of the summer and I began finding new plants popping up 3 feet away and choking other plants in between. When I pulled them up they came up with lots of runners. I followed the runners back to the main plant and realized I had a problem. I looked it up and to my dismay found it is invasive as all heck in many places. I immediately yanked the main plant and began uprooting any and all shoots. Thank goodness I have well amended soil so that I could easily pull them, but it still took another year of "weeding" to eradicate new seedlings from the old roots or seed. Some people do it for longer from what I have seen.
To give you an idea at how tough these things are I've since found them growing along the highways in Alabama out in the blazing southern summer sun in drought conditions, and they are happily spreading out. Pull now and expect to keep pulling it out for the next year or two. Don't forget to tell anyone you meet NOT to buy it unless they have a piece of garden that is not near any other plants they value.
So I purchased 3 small Showy Primrose plants in April and while they are beautiful, they are growing all over the place! I have noticed that roots and leaves are coming up through the mulch and I am afraid it will overtake the rest of the plants in the flowerbed. I normally research plants and I can't believe that I didn't realize it is invasive. Points lost for me. Ugh, anyway, should I pull it out now and will it that work? I have heard the roots are hard to kill on these things.
If it gives you any hope, I've pretty much eradicated the variegated bishopweed "groundcover" I inherited with the house. I pulled it all up, and a lot of it I covered with cardboard and mulched. A couple of small ones try to grow now and again, but it hasn't been overwhelming...and hopefully the roots will all be completely lifeless soon.
I would say pull it out before it sets seed. If you continue to pull up any shoots, you should deplete the stored energy and completely destroy the plant at some point.
If it makes you feel any better, my local nursery planted a bunch in their display, and it looks pretty good. There are still a few other plants around it, so it hasn't completely stifled all other plant life. The planting has only been there for a year, I think.
I planted a small clump last summer and they've taken over. They are pretty little plants, but I'm moving them out of the front garden to along the side of the house, where they can grow to their heart's content and I won't care. Maybe I'll toss a few under the lilac bush as well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ugh, anyway, should I pull it out now and will it that work? I have heard the roots are hard to kill on these things.
There are still a few other plants around it, so it hasn't completely stifled all other plant life. The planting has only been there for a year, I think.
Maybe I'll toss a few under the lilac bush as well.
