skip to main content

Rocky Mountain Gardening

Can Anyone Help Me Identify This Weed/Tree/Plant Popping Up?

9 years ago

I have an invasion of these of late...

I had just cut one down near my fenceline, and one in a garden bed....
and within 7-14 days they started popping up all over. (with a proximity of around 20-30 feet from the ones that were cut down.)

(and I have 2 other pictures if you need more of them...one of the yard & frequency of them popping up...and 1 picture of one pulled out showing the root.)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
9 years ago
Does it have a milky sap when you break off a leaf, like dandelions?

Welcome to RMG, Coach,
Skybird
ZachS. z5 Platteville, Colorado
9 years ago
Skybird, if you're hinting at milkweed, that was my first thought when I saw the picture as well.
Related Discussions
Can anyone help me identify this tree?
Q
Comments (24)
Oh no! It's spreading! The drinking and posting thing. just joking, but, Johnd your post is a bit strange sounding, i am not judging you, I have made many an assanine post on here while under the influence. One recently directed at Ken. I cringed when i read it sober. I see you said it is tongue in cheek though. Maybe you were poking fun at me, but maybe not. I am going to try to not be an ass on this forum, I think that would be best no matter what. But anyhoo, I thi nk those buds are "oaklike" and not like any Beech I have ever seen.
...See More
Can anyone help me identify this weed please?
Q
Comments (6)
Discoqueen - it's an elder bush. Sambucus nigra - a very common self sowing native. You will need to cut it right down and then, if you can't dig out the roots, apply some sort of brush killer to the stumps. Before anyone says, why destroy an edible, these things are native here and sprout all over the place. They are a bit too common and a bit too large to tolerate in our small gardens.
...See More
Can anyone help identify this weed?
Q
Comments (3)
Good luck with that lot then...... I only have to deal with a few plants and that's plenty for me.
...See More
Can anyone help me identify this tree behind me?
Q
Comments (18)
You guys are not particularly helpful. Or nice. My best guess, and this is only a guess, would be that it's a maple tree. In the second picture, to the right of your ear, there's a scale of bark separating from the top side that looks thin (which can make climbing hard). When a scale of maple bark separates it can be relatively thin like that, whereas other common trees, oak or walnut, usually have thicker, bark that doesn't scale as much. On the flip side, it doesn't look as scaly as I would expect from say cherry. Without more info I'd guess maple.
...See More
coachjc
Original Author
9 years ago
It definitely has milky sap when it breaks on the stem...not sure about the leaves.
(it's like white blood...except sticky...I remember getting into lots of that as a kid...but can't remember which plant(s) it came from...milkweed I guess?)
:)

If it is milkweed...any ideas on how I can better control it?
Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
9 years ago
I missed that you had come back with a reply, Coach! It sounds like you have some species of Asclepias! One of the common names is butterfly weed, and people pay money for the stuff you're trying to get rid of! Like dandelions, the seeds "float" in the air, and my guess is that some neighbor pretty close has one/some they're cultivating to attract butterflies! The most common species is A. incarnata--but I really have no way to know if that's the species that's showing up in your yard or not. Some info at the link below if you're interested in more!

In terms of getting rid of it, I recommend Weed-B-Gon. You can use that in the grass--it kills only broad leaf plants, and you can use it where there is no grass too. From my experience it works better than Roundup, and it's what I use anywhere I need an herbicide these days--works quite well at getting rid of cottonwood and aspen suckers in the grass! As far as I know all, or at least most, milkweeds have taproots, so the sooner you get rid of them the easier it will be. If you decide to try to pull them, you'll need to get all of the root out or they'll come back from anything you leave behind!

If you have a place where you want to grow some to attract butterflies (it's also a host plant for the caterpillars), you can just deadhead the flowers before any seeds form to help keep them from "filling up your yard!" Can't help with "the neighbor" if I'm right that that's where the seeds are coming from!

Skybird

P.S. The "plant" you were getting into as a kid was most likely dandelions!

Here is a link that might be useful: Asclepias incarnata

Related Stories

MUDROOMS The Cure for Houzz Envy: Mudroom Touches Anyone Can Do

By Becky Harris

Make a utilitarian mudroom snazzier and better organized with these cheap and easy ideas

EDIBLE GARDENS Natural Ways to Get Rid of Weeds in Your Garden

By Abundant City

Use these techniques to help prevent the spread of weeds and to learn about your soil

BEDROOMS The Cure for Houzz Envy: Master Bedroom Touches Anyone Can Do

By Becky Harris

Make your bedroom a serene dream with easy moves that won’t give your bank account nightmares

GARDENING GUIDES Let's Weed Out 4 Native Plant Myths

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Plant wisely for a garden that supports pollinators and requires less work

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Bugle Weed, a Quick Ground Cover

It’s highly adaptable, suppresses weeds, reduces erosion and provide weeks of bright flowers. Just watch for invasiveness

KITCHEN DESIGN The Cure for Houzz Envy: Kitchen Touches Anyone Can Do

By Becky Harris

Take your kitchen up a notch even if it will never reach top-of-the-line, with these cheap and easy decorating ideas

DECORATING GUIDES The Cure for Houzz Envy: Dining Room Touches Anyone Can Do

By Becky Harris

Get a decorator-style dining room on the cheap with inexpensive artwork, secondhand furniture and thoughtful accessories

BUDGET DECORATING The Cure for Houzz Envy: Entryway Touches Anyone Can Do

By Becky Harris

Make a smashing first impression with just one or two affordable design moves

GARDENING GUIDES What’s in a Name? See 6 Wildflowers That Aren’t ‘Weeds’ at All

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Dispel the stereotypes of weeds and try these wildlife-supporting native wildflowers in your garden

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Backyard Birds: How to Identify Two Common Woodpeckers

By Habitat Network

Downy and hairy woodpeckers have similar coloration and behavior. But there are two big differences that separate them

Sponsored

Peabody Landscape Group

8 Reviews

Franklin County's Reliable Landscape Design & Contracting

More Discussions

2024 Spring Plant Swap Offering

0

Free Asian Pear Trees

4

Temp outdoor greenhouse in CO zone 6- are Dahlias safe in there now?

5

Veggie Steps 2024

6

PLANT SWAP THIS SATURDAY MAY 11 (11-2p) WE NEED YOUR EMAIL

6