I have Autumn olive in my yard, and it is rugged, attractive, relatively fast growing, and makes very pretty fragrant flowers in the Spring that the Honeybees love. However, as you know it is a non-native invasive and is banned in Massachusetts, so I am slowly digging it out. I say slowly only because I have even more serious problems with incursions of Oriental bittersweet, Buckthorn, and Norway Maple that require attention first.

Some of these noxious invasives were actually planted by the previous owner about 40 years ago, having no idea how much of a scourge these plants would turn out to be!!

Just the mere *possibility* that Russian Olive would have invasive tendencies would be enough for me. It is already banned in Connecticut and a couple other states out west.

The more I learn about native shrubs, the more I am enchanted with their beauty and wildlife value. Why not plant a mixed border of beautiful Viburnum, Dogwood, Holly, etc.? You would be supporting the native flora and fauna, and not taking the chance that a non-native would turn out to be an invasive somewhere down the road.

Hi again, lol. I think it should be banned everywhere....honestly, it crowds out native species like there's no tomorrow. I think the Russian isn't banned because perhaps it's quite rare here? I've not seen any in my rides around the New England/local area.

One reason is was so popular in the 3 states that banned it was due to it's xeriscape nature. I can't imagine how carried away it might get here with better soil and moisture. I really wouldn't plant it.........I'm opposed to any plant with invasize tendencies. Right now the Olives seem to be rare here and should stay that way. We have enuf probs with Barberries, Loosestrife, Honeysuckles, Norway Maples etc. There are sooo many choices for a hedge that are much more "responsible", prettier, fragrant, fast......This is really a tree too...not a shrub. You'd have a hard time keeping it in bounds...kinda high maintenance in my observations of neighbors trying to keep it nice looking.

You might consider Hakura Nishki Dappled Willow. You can find them at most of the nurseries and big box stores. Faster, prettier, more of a hedge appearance, extremely early leaf out in April....beautiful variegated leaves in pink, white and pale green.It's become very popular in the last 5 yrs...elegant. I have three......Google or go to Dave's Gardens to see some great pix. Very easy to grow! Mine were only 2' tall 3 yrs ago and had reached 8' tall this spring. I cut them down to reshape in early May and they're already back up to 5-6'. You'd already be starting out with a good size vs the puny online shrubs, lol. Good luck.....hope I was of some help.

I agree with Terrene about Viburnum and mixed borders. Mohawk is a superbly fragrant (in late April/early May) bloomer that takes your breath away! A mixed border is gorgeous...that with the Willow, evergreens....much more interesting than just one plant. Oh, as you see I'm in MA...I moved back home from Denver 3 yrs ago. Terrene...did you have the zillions of Norway Maple seedlings this year?? OY............gotcha on the Bittersweet too which I finally eradicated last fall.

Storey - just wanted to add that I think it's great that you are concerned and asking questions about this plant! Sorry that you bought it already but there are so many fantastic native shrubs you can plant instead.

Have you checked out the NH Nursery (see link below)? They sell seedlings of many native shrubs and small trees in the Spring. They no longer accept mail orders for this year but maybe they have hours during the summer?

I purchased 80 native seedlings this Spring for $1 apiece. They are all shrubs and small trees and all make berries for the birds. They are currently planted in temporary nursery beds and are getting established very nicely, most are in the range of 1 - 2 feet tall.

JanT, congrats on getting rid of the Bittersweet!

You cannot believe the invasives in my yard. FIVE LARGE Norways and about a million saplings and seedlings. A friend and I have been hard at work attacking the Norway Maples - he weilds the chainsaw, me the weed wrench. We are working in phases and have cut and piled about 3/4 of them so far. The yard looks like a freakin' hurricane has gone through!

This fall I'll get a professional tree service to come out and cut down ve two of the large Norways and top the other two that have been girdled already which I want to leave up as snags for the birds.

And that is just Acer platanoides... 8-O

Here is a link that might be useful: NH Nursery

If you want a fast growing hedge, most deciduous shrubs grow really fast, especially if they're watered for the first few seasons. Mulch helps *a lot* too.

Since you're planting a long row of shrubs, you should probably consider rototilling the whole bed and adding some ammendments (compost, leaf mold, manure, or even peat if that's all you can get your hands on). Your shrubs will grow twice as fast as they would if you just dug holes for each one.

Among the fastest growing in my yard are forsythia, sambucus, smokebush, and wiegela. Many viburnums grow slowly; an exception is the American Cranberry bush, which quickly reaches about 14 feet of upright growth.

I wouldn't plant any viburnum, though, until I checked with my extension service about the viburnum leaf beetle. We don't have it here yet, but it's coming. I have about 10 varieties of viburnum, and am dreading the seemingly inevitable morning when I will find the best of the lot defoliated overnight by this pest.

One of my favorite willows is the rosemary-leafed willow, which grows very fast but does not turn into a tree. Its leaves are very fine, and have silvery undersides - when the breeze blows, it is stunning.

Applause to you for thinking about invasiveness before you plant. It's amazing how many gardeners just shrug this off.

Storey....it is commendable that you research and ask the right questions....hat's off to you.

Diggin'? Thanks for the warning regarding that beetle....I checked the list and thank goodness my Viburnums are all on the "least susceptible" list.

Cornell has a pretty good run down on this. The main VLB page is at this page or go right to the list, below.

Here is a link that might be useful: List of susceptible viburnums

You have all convinced me to skip these plants. I called and cancelled this part of the order. Thanks for the advice.
I have 4 viburnums already, all dentatum, considered "highly susceptible" to the bad bug! Great! Oh well, I'll be sure to monitor them closely.

Terrene,
Thanks for the link. Many are sold out right now but I've book marked it for next spring.

Jant, Are all Willows good hedges? I saw a generic hyprid salix willow. Would you recommend that? I can layer with some prettier plants in the future. Right now I'm working on bringing the woods in closer to create some intimacy and privacy.
Thanks again

Russian Olive has been identified by the North American Weed Management Association as one of the most serious threats in America. They have published a position paper on the Russian Olive. If you do a google search and type in Russian Olive, you will get many websites from federal and state organizations with information on the invasiveness of this plant. It is a threat to the economy, ecology and environment anywhere it is planted. Please take steps to remove it where you have it planted on your property and take the time to ask stores or nurseries to remove it from their stock where you see it for sale. From the USDA web site:

Description: Russian-olive is a small deciduous tree or large thorny shrub in the oleaster family (Elaeagnaceae) that can grow 15 to 30 feet in height. It is generally rounded in shape with loose arrangement of branches. Its stems, buds, and leaves have a dense covering of silvery to rusty scales. Twigs have silvery scales and thorns on the ends. Leaves are simple, alternate, 1-3 inches long, lance-shaped and silvery on both sides. Flowers appear in June and July. They are bell-shaped, single or clustered in the leaf axils, fragrant, yellowish on the inside and silver outside. Olive like fruits are dupe-like, .5 inches long, light green to yellow with silvery scales, hard and fleshy. Plants begin to flower and fruit at three years of age. Reproduction is by seed, sprouting from buds on the root crown and suckering.

Habitat: It is found along fields, open areas, grasslands, stream banks, lakeshores, roadsides, and urban areas, sandy and bare mineral soils. Seedlings are tolerant of shade and it thrives in a variety of soil and moisture conditions, including bare mineral substrates.

Distribution: This species is reported from states shaded on Plants Database map. It is reported invasive in AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, and WI .

Ecological Impacts: This invasive plant can interfere with natural plant succession, nutrient cycling, and tax water reserves. Because Russian-olive is capable of fixing nitrogen in its roots, it can grow on bare, mineral substrates and dominate riparian vegetation where over-story cottonwoods have died. Although Russian-olive provides a plentiful source of edible fruits for birds, ecologists have found that bird species richness is actually higher in riparian areas dominated by native vegetation.
Thank you very much

Troy and Lori Zaumseil
Citizens Against Noxious Weeds Invading the North