Passalong Plants and Garden Thugs

A number of years ago, when my herb garden was new, someone at the Herb Society's May plant exchange talked me into taking home some lamb's ears and a few sprigs of various mints. Such naiveté…I've finally gotten rid of the lamb's ears but the mints are in my yard forever. There are reasons why "passalong plants" are just that-in the right situation, they become garden thugs at the expense of their growing neighbors.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is attacking this problem in several ways. On November 23, from 1 to 4 pm, the Garden will present "Invasive Ornamentals", a program of prac-tical, proven suggestions for dealing with the most common pest plants and advice on the selection of alternative species and cultivars. Cost: $62. To register, call (847)835-6874

A list of more than 100 plant species that can be invasive in the Chicago area (and probably in our area) is available at: www.chicagobotanic.org/research/conservation/ invasive_chicago.html. At least 25 of the listed plants (such as Oriental bittersweet, dame's rocket, and porcelain berry) will be removed from the Botanic Garden, while others are being considered for removal.

A very informative article entitled "Garden Thugs" appeared in the Garden section of the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, September 22. You can probably find it in the newspaper archives at your library.

-Sharon Lappin Lumsden

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