
Perhaps I have successfully banished rabbits from my garden?
I am hopeful, but doubtful. I know those rabbits are out there, somewhere. I must remain vigilant.
But I have banished Heliopsis helianthoides, False Sunflowers, from my garden.
They were messy and self-sowed themselves in many places. That's a good thing if you are planting a prairie-style garden, not so good if you are trying to have a nice grape arbor and a semi-neat perennial border.
It all started innocently enough when I purchased Heliopsis helianthoides 'Lorraine Sunshine'. It had the most wonderful variegated foliage! So I bought it, planted it, and loved it that first year.
Then there were seedlings, and some were variegated like the parent plant and I was happy. But others were plain, the species. And they grew and flowered, too, and I let them be. Soon I had many false sunflower plants and I planted them here and there, and even around the grape arbor.
But they turned out to be thugs. They made a mess of my garden. They grew everywhere and cast their seedlings about the garden.
So on Saturday, I banished them from my garden.
I cleaned up the bed around the grape arbor and took them all out, along with all the weeds they were harboring around them, including dandelions and grass.
This is what the grape arbor looked like before I banished the false sunflower.

Here's the same bed after I weeded and removed all the false sunflower.

And here's the bed all mulched up.

But just as I must be watchful of the rabbits, I must be watchful of the false sunflowers. You see, over in the perennial border, I left the variegated 'Lorraine Sunshine'.

I couldn't bear to get rid of its beautiful variegated foliage. I was weak, maybe foolhardy. Time will tell.
But I promise to my garden and my grapes that now that I know about the self-sowing habit of the false sunflower, I'll be careful and watchful. Really, I will. I've learned my lesson. Plain green false sunflower seedlings will be treated like weeds and promptly removed from my garden... when I get to them, hopefully before they flower.
Have you banished any plants from your garden this spring?
Comments
I also am trying to get rid of Asclepias syriaca, the plant that tried to eat the Prarie Garden. I'm replacing it with the better behaved Asclepias purpurascens.
My mom gave me one of these when I first started my garden from scratch, saying that it was a nice easy plant. Didn't mention that the seeds launch themselves across the garden, and every single one of them seem to germinate. I found one that sprouted in gravel, under my deck.
When I tilled the new area to expand my vegetable garden I found bamboo roots. That is over 100 feet away from the original planting - Yikes!
Keep watching for those rabbits and false sunflowers Carol. They will appear again when you least expect them!
I pulled out Malva alcea 'Fastigiata' a couple of years ago, and I am still pulling up dozens of seedlings every year. They quickly develop tap roots and need individual pulling, a tedious chore.
Thanks for asking!
Gail
Mr. McGregor's Daughter, I had to look up that Hydrophyllum and realize I have some of that, too. I've been pulling it as I see it as I assumed it was a weed that came in with some passalong hostas years ago.
Daphne, Interesting how many of us actually planted what we are now trying to get rid of.
Chzplz, Yes, beware of the "nice, easy plant".
Nancy J. Bond, Thanks, so far, this year I am winning the battle with the rabbits.
Marc, Yikes! Bamboo! I have been very careful to stay away from bamboo, I don't want to get seduced by it and think I can plant it and control it!
Kathy, A garden of thugs. I bet that is a sight to behold by the end of the summer!
Gail, It is a never ending task, isn't it, to get rid of those thugs.
Frances, Right now, I like the clean look around the grape arbor. It will look less bare as the grapes continue to grow (I pruned them back hard this spring). And what worries me is I don't know where the rabbits are. I didn't trap them, just haven't seen any for awhile. Maybe one of my neighbors is successfully trapping them for me?
Lisa at Greenbow, The irony of it all, that many of the plants we are trying to get rid of we actually planted and welcomed into our gardens at one time.
Thanks all, for sharing about your banished plants.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Thanks for the warning about it!