Comments on May Dreams Gardens: The Truth About Burning Bush, Three Years Later

Amen Carol. I hate to say it, but we have a hedge...

2009-10-20T22:12:45.688-04:00

Amen Carol. I hate to say it, but we have a hedge of 17 of them between our front yard and a neighbor's, planted long before my husband bought this place. I would so love to take them out - them, and the rest of the front 'landscape,' which includes a 40-year-old Bradford pear (also said to be invasive,) and overgrown yews. Ugh!

I certainly didn't realize they were invasive, the...

2009-10-20T09:33:45.238-04:00

I certainly didn't realize they were invasive, they are easy to maintain staples of the Toronto, Canada gardens.

Thanks for the information. It is interesting how we fall in and out of love with plants.

hmmm. I 'll have to look out for it. Sounds like...

2009-10-19T21:09:31.635-04:00

hmmm. I 'll have to look out for it. Sounds like there are some nice alternatives if it's that awful!!

The red leaves are hard to resist, but not when yo...

2009-10-19T20:30:13.108-04:00

The red leaves are hard to resist, but not when you know how invasive this plant is. Can't believe your post has had that many reads. I'll have to go back and look at it.

It shows up in my yard/garden every year...present...

2009-10-19T20:25:28.674-04:00

It shows up in my yard/garden every year...presents from the bird who visit the neighbors gardens. gail

I think we can only have the compactus form availa...

2009-10-19T18:20:47.335-04:00

I think we can only have the compactus form available here (Surrey UK)as they never seem to grow more than 3ft x 3ft, and i've never know them to sow seeds. I love the Autumn colour, but agree they are boring green the rest of the year

I do have to chuckle here. When we moved into our ...

2009-10-19T17:54:00.095-04:00

I do have to chuckle here. When we moved into our new home two years ago. we transplanted several burning bushes to an area where we hoped to grow something (anything) to stop erosion. Alas, I cazn't even seem, to grow an invasive plant. I won't be planting any more and these ones haven't really grown in 24 months. The blueberries however, are growing just fine.

Blueberries need an acidic soil and most of the so...

2009-10-19T16:04:36.353-04:00

Blueberries need an acidic soil and most of the soil in the lower Midwest is alkaline. When we grow them here, we plant them in boxes so the soil pH can be controlled.

For a taller plant with good fall color, consider some of the Viburnums, such as V. dentatum.

Last spring at the garden center where I work, a customer came in and wanted to know what she could put on her

All of your post are well written and they get pic...

2009-10-19T15:05:30.810-04:00

All of your post are well written and they get picked up by certain list. This one got a snowball effect and so it keeps rolling down hill collecting more snow. Good for you as it was a good post and full of very useful information.

It's not invasive here in the PNW, but IMHO, it is...

2009-10-19T14:31:17.494-04:00

It's not invasive here in the PNW, but IMHO, it is not just ordinary, it's ugly, even when the leaves are red. There are so many wonderful native alternatives with prettier, colorful leaves, and other wonderful properties. There is no reason to plant it.

That's odd. It's not invasive in MI.

2009-10-19T13:07:01.311-04:00

That's odd. It's not invasive in MI.

I think this is what we have in a pot by the gate,...

2009-10-19T11:14:15.558-04:00

I think this is what we have in a pot by the gate, but I'm not sure. We're looking after it for a friend for a while, but I guess if it's in a pot then it's ok.

I get more questions about burning bush than any o...

2009-10-19T10:43:31.389-04:00

I get more questions about burning bush than any other plant. I do not understand it!

I haven't heard of it being invasive up here in To...

2009-10-19T10:10:57.805-04:00

I haven't heard of it being invasive up here in Toronto (USDA Zone 5, Canadian Zone 6), but have noticed -- after killing mine off during a couple of droughty seasons -- that it has self-seeded in a few places in my garden. So perhaps it's something we'll be awakened to soon.

Note that those droughty days were intensified, because my garden is shaded and sucked dry by

I think it's funny that this post received the mos...

2009-10-19T09:56:06.542-04:00

I think it's funny that this post received the most hits; as Lisa said, I have a feeling many of them were looking for Biblical interpretations.

I had no idea burning bushes were considered invasive, but this is one time I'm going to have to disagree with you, Carol. We have three large bushes that were planted at the end of our yard before we ever moved here, and I love their

There are so many, other shrubs with great fall co...

2009-10-19T09:31:26.750-04:00

There are so many, other shrubs with great fall color, there really is no excuse for this plant being sold anymore. The only reason I have one is that it was here when I bought the property and was already so big that removing it is going to take some major work.

If there are paragraphs you want to edit, why don'...

2009-10-19T09:05:23.646-04:00

If there are paragraphs you want to edit, why don't you? Isn't that the power of blogging, of self-publishing? You are in control.

I only wish I could go back and edit comments I left when I spot a spelling error or worse.

I agree with Dwayne that a great alternative to bu...

2009-10-19T08:38:22.752-04:00

I agree with Dwayne that a great alternative to burning bush is high bush blueberries. I am constantly amazed at how many burning bushes I see in our area and they no longer look pretty to me because I know how invasive they are, and I get so angry thinking that you can still buy them at nurseries. I also warn people against buying them.

There are quite a few alternatives to planting bur...

2009-10-19T08:26:29.748-04:00

There are quite a few alternatives to planting burning bush. That fall color does get a lot of people planting them. Since they are also very cheap it becomes pretty attractive for those who don't know about its invasiveness.

Indiana and other Midwestern gardeners might find ...

2009-10-19T07:55:14.158-04:00

Indiana and other Midwestern gardeners might find publications about invasive plants helpful. There are a couple, one that is a collaborative effort of about 20+ groups, including the Indiana Nursery & Landscape Association: http://bit.ly/2JoZep
and the other from the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society, http://www.inpaws.org

There are other alternatives, such as Itea virgini...

2009-10-19T07:50:21.393-04:00

There are other alternatives, such as Itea virginica, 'Henry's Garnet' or Little Henry. 'Henry's Garnet' is in the 4x4 foot range and Little Henry is about 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Each has spectacular fall color that stays on the shrub until November or December, usually much longer than burning bushes. As an added bonus, these plants have fragrant, white bottlebrush

I didn't realize it was invasive in IN. Hmmmm My ...

2009-10-19T07:43:41.482-04:00

I didn't realize it was invasive in IN. Hmmmm My dear FIL gave us three of them years ago. They still reside here. Funny that your most looked at post is about burning bushes. Probably as you say bible readers wondering about that bush then they learn something new.

I need to go and read all about it although I don'...

2009-10-19T07:41:22.929-04:00

I need to go and read all about it although I don't think we grow that bush here in Texas. We certainly could do with a bit of that color- everything is rather flat here.

I have to say I am looking for all of that height ...

2009-10-19T07:01:12.385-04:00

I have to say I am looking for all of that height to block off a neighbor's house which is up against my back fence .. and I am also looking for something plain to act as a foil for the plants I want to highlight.
So here at my little place in Ontario, this IS actually what I want to use for those exact characteristics .. Carol it all depends on KNOWING exactly what you WANT and what the

For folks that just cannot be convinced that the b...

2009-10-19T06:57:23.901-04:00

For folks that just cannot be convinced that the burning bush is irreplaceable, look into mid to high varieties of Blueberry bushes.

The leaves turn a bright red in the fall very similar to burning bush, but it is not invasive.

Of course, another benefit is the blueberries, but even if you don't eat them yourselves, you have given the birds that visit your landscape a