Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Thursday - December 02, 2010
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Compost and Mulch, Planting, Problem Plants, Vines
Title: Eliminating non-native Asian Jasmine in Austin
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a large bed in front of the house full of jasmine that was planted by the builder 25 years ago. What suggestions do you have to eliminate it and prepare the bed to plant native flowers and plants?ANSWER:
A later note from you indicated that your plant is Tracelospermum asiaticum, Asian jasmine, native to Japan and Korea. If it has been there 25 years and has not overgrown your trees and other plants you must have been very vigilant in controlling it. It is capable of being quite invasive, and herbicides have little or no effect on it. You have chosen a good time of year to go after this plant. If you want to plant native plants there, which we applaud, you need to get the roots and vines totally out of the soil, perhaps even taking the soil out and replacing it with fresh soil and a generous helping of compost. We would suggest digging it out, going after every root you can find. The stems root where they touch the ground, so leaving any vines unscathed in your yard can well mean they will be back. You will probably have to stay after them for several years, learn to recognize the plant when it first peeps out of the ground, cut it down as far as you can reach and pull out as much as you can. Deny the roots of nutrition long enough and they will eventually starve, but you must be thorough. Doing it now when you are not worried about protecting other plants already in the bed will make it that much easier.
If you get this done soon enough, you can certainly get some woody plants into the new bed, shrubs and perhaps small trees, depending on the size of the area. Be careful to get plants in the ground as quickly as possible after they have come from the nursery. Check them for being root bound. A plant that has been too long in a pot will tend to grow around in circles and, when planted, cannot get its roots out into the nice new soil you have provided. Cutting some of those roots will avoid further "girdling." It is a little late in the year to plant wildflower seeds, if that is in your plans, but you can plant perennial bedding plants early in the spring, hopefully for first-year bloom. A layer of good quality shredded hardwood mulch will not only protect the new roots from cold, but is attractive. As it decomposes, it will compost into the soil and continue to contribute to the nutrition and drainage in the soil.
More Non-Natives Questions
Non-native Littleleaf Boxwood and native alternatives for Baltimore
January 06, 2005 - I am looking for a small hedge or shrub, that will look nice year round, and won't get too large. I live in Baltimore, MD. I have heard of Winter Gem Boxwood. Will this prove hardy in my area? H...
view the full question and answer
Non-branching mimosa tree
June 26, 2008 - I have a Mimosa Tree, just about 2 years old, grown from seed. The problem with it is that it has not branched out, it looks like one long branch growing out of the ground, about 5 feet if stood strai...
view the full question and answer
Apples, pears and geraniums in Kipling, Saskatchewan
March 30, 2013 - My geranium's leaves became yellow - Why? Where can I buy a good nice apple tree? Will apples and pears grow in south Saskatchewan?
view the full question and answer
Non-native ixora full of weeds in Miami FL
July 29, 2011 - My Ixoras are full of weeds look like some kind of berry.
Is there a way to get rid of them?
view the full question and answer
Non-native tomato plant in Austin
August 30, 2010 - I have an upside-down tomato plant, started on July 4. For several weeks there have been 7 green tomatoes, with no further growth or ripening,despite daily watering. Am I doing something wrong?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |