Are All Chives Invasive?
16 years ago
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- 16 years ago
- 16 years ago
Related Discussions
Are all the Buckthorns considered Invasive
Comments (26)While I might nitpick with your choice of poison ivy as swing species in this example-it is after all used by a number of native lepidopterous species-I do fancy your (and my own) use of the concept of context! What a concept it is! So, let's say you have a relative rarity, an intact old-growth plant community of some type. That's rare and it is valuable, for reasons which I should not have to enumerate here. So let's further say that Dame's rocket-Hesperis matronalis-is creeping in at the edge. Should the dame's rocket be eliminated? In my view, yes, in this context, it and pretty much all non-native species should be kept at bay. Now let's pivot to some hellish-if not outright hell strip-patch of box elders, common buckthorn, and oh....burdock and Canada thistle growing alongside a hill in some "waste place" in one of our cities. And there's dame's rocket growing happily amongst all the other garbage. Is it a problem within that context? I say of course not. Yet there are native plant purists who would argue-and use scarce resources-to do just that-eliminate this pretty flowering mustard relative, I guess in order to free up some more space for the burdock. So context and nuance rules here. Trouble is, lots of folks don't do nuance. It's all one way or all the other-no inbetweens. That's a recipe for much wasted effort.......or an unseemly lack of effort where some would have done much good. Then there are those weirdos like myself-having long considered this issue, and from a variety of viewpoints, who believe a careful addition of certain non-native plant species is not only not harmful, but something that should be pursued with vigor. I think of the demise of eastern hemlock and the possibilities offered by the existence of very similar plants from China as one such example. Then there are those long-known species which, despite having been "here"-N. America for this example-for quite some time, have yet to break out and cause anything like an actual problem. Of course, astute readers will know I am now talking about Norway spruce, a plant which exceeds in many important qualities any roughly similar plant native to these shores. I view the addition of this plant to the landscape as not only not a problem, but as an enhancement of what is already here. Like I said, weirdo....See MoreNira Conundrum (Chinese chives/garlic chives)?
Comments (3)Hello Thai, Thank you!! I think I will see if I can set up an allium container garden in the back and put more nira in there (while hoping for the best with the fledgling colony out front). We have the opposite situation here in So.Cal., i.e., trying not to let the plants dry out due to low humidity, so I wonder if I should use a wooden container, or does that transpire moisture the way unglazed terra cotta does? (of course my wallet is screaming "plastic containers" because they are inexpensive, but I want my plants to be happy!) Nira Tamago (scrambled eggs w/the garlic chives over rice) is one of my husband and my favorite "comfort foods" to cook up when we get home late after a performance - it's delicious, quick and satisfying. I also use lots of nira when I make pad thai. Ironically enough, of all the plants I managed to grow since I got my first "real" garden this year, the ones I really wanted but wasn't able to grow very well were nira and cilantro.... Live and learn - there's always next season! Thanks again, Brenda...See MoreAre all fig tree roots invasive?
Comments (3)I think that Fig roots are pretty aggressive, and the plant is very dense in its leaf canopy, so it is not user-friendly to understory plants. I would figure on bare cultivation a good eight feet around the trunk of each tree ideally. Nothing will do well in that heavy shade and desert dry soil anyhow....See MoreWhat ARE these things all over my garlic chives?
Comments (13)How weird! I've been growing chives for years, and don't recall seeing aphids on them. I have had different colors of aphids on a variety of other plants, though. I had a bad experience with garlic chives getting too aggressive where we lived before here, and did not grow any for about 8 years. In the last couple of years I have gotten brave and am growing them in pots. They are currently blooming, and when I walk by them, I tell them they will be cut down when the flowers fade, and not be put on the compost pile. I'm sorry for those with aphids on their chives. I wonder if it's the zone that makes a difference, or maybe the distance of the chives from the plants they lure the aphids away from. Hmm, Sue...See More- 16 years ago
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