Garden

[SahmIam]

Home I just purchased had a professional landscape the front and side yard. Looks beautiful. The owner wanted plants that would attract honey bees, butterflies and song birds.. and it does! However, I noticed this one plant that was growing all along the edge of the garden; in a perfect row and then is some places in the back. It at first produced a long, lone flower that then turned into a dandelion-weed-looking thing. Went to pull it and my hand was covered in barbs! A few minutes later, my hand began to swell. Cold water (lots of it) and then soap helped but I had NO IDEA what this was.

Found out it is Bull Thistle and is used to attract honey bees and butterflies, HOWEVER.. it is considered an invasive plant in many states (not all and not in mine) and should be avoided/removed at the root/bulb area and discarded.

I removed 25 of those plants last week and today.. more have sprung up in the garden as well as in the grass. Other than digging them up, any other advice as to preventing more shoots? It says they have a two-year bloom cycle (looks like these were in their second year) and then just grow big and take over.

Anyone?

[JustJazzmom]

Bull thistle as you found out has barbs so wear gloves to remove them. Try not to let them go to seed and keep removing the ones you see come up. Also since they have a taproot (single long root) they are easy to remove using a dandelion tool.

And thistle seed is not the seed of thistles but its actually Niger seed and it is cooked before being bagged for the birds to eat. The Niger seed does not germinate.

[jackthebear]

https://www.google.com/#newwindow=1&q=bull+thistle

I see this one around it is pretty, but invasive

[RedTop]

Every year I have one or two go these pesky things in my flower garden. I use a mixture of white vinegar and salt to kill it.

[SahmIam]

Thank you ladies! I will try the vinegar and salt and see what happens to those I can not get to but can see.

Pulled up the other ones today.

Have to say I was shocked that a professional nursery/landscaper would use such a thing UNTIL I read that not all states consider this plant 1) a weed and 2) not to be invasive. The former owner paid hundreds just for THIS plant to be used... how sad. I sincerely hope all states join together and ban this plant. It really is a nasty one : (

[JustJazzmom]

I would not use the salt as salt remains in the soil for a long period of time.

Romans used to 'salt the earth' so that arable land would not grow food.

I think your best bet is to remove with gloves, eventually they will not come up.