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Butterfly Garden

Cup Plant (silphium perfoliatum)

16 years ago

I was thinking of trying to grow this and put some in our Garden Club's Butterfly garden but one of the members said it was invasive and could cause a problem. Have any members had this problem with it?

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sandwhy
16 years ago
I bought a tiny twig of a Cup Plant on a garden walk two years ago. Last season it bloomed gorgeously from one stalk. This year I have 4 gorgeous blooming stalks. Next year? I assume it will multiply again. I have it in an area where it will be happy for a few years before I start worrying!

That is not to say it isn't "easy" to control - the woman I bought it from simply dug out a twig that was next to the mother plant. I plan on doing this next year if my plant produces more offspring.

Like many things, it may also self-seed easily; I controlled this by deadheading and planting the seeds in a contained area. The seedlings are easy enough to identify and pull out if need be!

Perhaps it might be a little more aggressive in your slightly-warmer zone. The worst problem I've had is not invasiveness - but staking! Mine only gets a few hours of direct sun, so I'm sure that's why after a heavy rain/wind storm it looks a little tippy.

So in answer to your question, I don't think this plant is any more invasive than a lot of butterfly/bird friendly plants out there (I think echinacea and milkweed are worse offenders when it comes to self-seeding!). Hope that helps. :)

Sandy
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Just make sure to put it in a spot that gets some water if you want them to grow nice and tall and not look ratty. I had a clump in my garden years back. it grew nice and tall since I would water the beds through the dry part of summer. But if you miss a seed head in the fall, they seed everywhere and you will be chasing them for years. So i banished it to the wild part of my yard. The clump that gets no water and bakes in the sun all day is only 4 feet tall and struggles during dry times. The other clumps that are in run off areas get 5-6 feet tall and are nice looking.
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?what to do with this little guy?

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