Scientific name: Cytisus scoparius. Common names: Scotch broom, broomtops, common broom, European broom, Irish broom, English. Native Origin: British Isles, central and southern Europe Ecological Impacts: This aggressive, rapid spreading plant can grow 3 feet in the first year. It can form dense impenetrable stands that degrade rangeland, prevent forest regeneration, and create fire hazards. It invades rapidly following logging, land clearing, and burning. It can form pure dense stands for miles along highway and country roads to crowd out native species and destroy wildlife habitat. Toxicity: Mild poisoning can occur from this shrub. Large amounts are required to cause symptoms in animals such as horses. Alkaloids have been identified as being the toxic principle. Cytisin, sparteine and isosparteine are found in the twigs, leaves and seeds in small amounts. The seeds of the plant can stay dormate for 160 years.

How to eradicate houttuynia cordata (chameleon plant) What I did when Houttuynia cordata took over my garden beds. I was one of those unsuspecting persons who thought this was a lovely groundcover and brought a couple home. For a couple of years due to my job, I did not have much time as I would have liked to tend my garden. I did not know what this plant was going to do. When it was in bloom, the little white flowers seemed to add a sparkle to my landscaping. And then it happened. The penalty I paid for admiring this plant and letting it spread was that my beds ended up completely smothered and taken over by this plant. In my yard, the chameleon plant behaved like fairy sized kudzu. In July 2019 I began researching online and was thrown into a panic. The prospects did not look good for getting rid of it. I found out this plant is on the list of globally invasive problem plants. I was stressed. I am going to tell you what I did after reading everything I could uncover on the internet about trying to get rid of this plant. I have never knowingly put any chemicals in my yard. I do not like them and I do not want to harm any wildlife or the ecosystem. However, in this instance, seeing how aggressive this plant was and having read that it can even spread under a driveway, I made a personal decision to use Ortho Poison Ivy Spray. It was not a decision made lightly. I did not want this plant taking over anymore of my property, spreading to my neighbors’ yards, or escaping into the wild areas where I live. From July to early September, I carefully applied the spray. The container it comes in has a very narrow stream, so I was able to be careful and not lose any plants I didn’t want to. After this application during the hottest months in Memphis, TN, the offending plant began to look dead. But from my research I knew it is a zombie that would return come Spring. My next step was sheet mulching. My beds needed to be re-done anyway, so in my case, I just dug up plants that I absolutely needed to save and moved them and with a few – like my Baptisia that have long taproots and can’t be transplanted, I worked around. 1. In September my partner and I got a lot of cardboard. My source was behind stores like TJ Maxx. After they unpack clothing etc….they put all of the cardboard behind the retail establishments. The cardboard was clean. I removed any tape. I had purchased a large supply of landscape pins. I used the sheet mulching method. Heavy layer of cardboard, then wet it and had humus and triple milled hardwood mulch delivered and applied on top of the cardboard. The beds stayed like this until March when I began putting in new plants and shrubs. 2. Spring 2020. A silver lining to Covid Times, I worked from home through the Spring. This enabled me (with the help of my partner) to re-do my front garden beds and tend them everyday. After planting all of my new plants and shrubs and mulching with pine straw I checked every morning for any reappearing houttuynia leaves. Whenever one sprouts up, I zap it with poison Ivy spray. Yes, there have been a few that have popped up. I still do not like using poison. I am still getting rid of the plant, but honestly, so far the reemergence has been very easy to handle. Mostly because I have checked it everyday. I know I will have to keep on this, but I feel like I have it under control. I just hope I can continue to be vigilant next Spring when I will be at work. Meanwhile, my new landscaping is settling in. I planted a lot of natives, and my garden is humming with pollinators. Don’t give up.

I am glad to see this thread updated. I think cupshaped--I do wish she and Jim from West NY were still posting here--made a very good point about fungi developing resistance to fungicides, In view of the recent news about "superbugs" and "superweeds" having evolved resistance to herbicides and Bt engineered corn, I think her point is one we American gardeners ought to be taking seriously. I am growing and trying to preserve some of the older Tantau floribundas. They do BS, but leaves grow back quickly when I cut off the spotted ones, and do seem to be hardy with protection. The colors are like nothing else I have seen among roses. Paul Zimmerman has said in writings and videos that roses will often develop some resistance, as individual plants, to the diseases that might be present in one's own area.

@Diane Brakefield Clare's work is beautiful. She has great drawing ability and really beautiful clean line work. I love her starry sky works, she's playing with space and proportion so nicely in those. The first two works (red headed female and green mountains with black circular sky form) would look really nice together as a diptych. They balance each other beautifully. The kids with cacti are my favorite though. Really nice space and proportions in that one and all of my favorite plants :) Even a little rose tree. Looks like she did well at school and has great training and skill. I also really like that cute image of the girl with the puppy cart on her bike. Nice perspective and shapes in that piece. Thank you for the kind words on my photos. Most of those plants are from my tropical plants or from leftovers I'd get at the Chelsea flower market in nyc. I got to know the guys at some of the shops there and they would give me leftover cuttings if I visited early in the morning. Those are Bells of Ireland :) To me they look like underwater plant life and I love how sturdy and structural they are, but how much motion they have in their design. Most of the other plants are bromeliads, protea, or ginger family. The big white flower with the berries is a white torch ginger. I'm bummed because I don't remember the name of those berries....I'll try to remember today though. I love ginger flowers, they're so odd and have such nice coloration and surface texture. I love how plants remind me that mother nature always wins in the creativity/artist department. The structures she creates are so overlooked by most people, but when you really take time to look at everything around us (or in our gardens), you start seeing how amazing she is as an architect, sculptor, and painter :)