Heart of the Garden

I just read that Japanese Barberry and Burning bush are on the invasives list for PA. Two or three Summers ago, I got both these shrubs for about 99 cents in their clearance rack at Lowes. I didn’t even like them that much but I just wanted more structure in my front garden.

I spent about an hour digging these things out today. I had to use loppers to get the roots of the burning bush out.

Why you shouldn’t buy invasives even if they’re all over every suburb from here to Kalamazoo: Because birds eat the seeds and drop them all over the woods. That is why. Below are the seeds of the Japanese Barberry.

And one more thing: Just because it’s in a garden center, doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to stick in your garden.