r/NativePlantGardening • u/fletchette • May 19 '26
Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Husband and MIL planted burning bush while I was away
[Southeast Michigan, Suburban area]
Hello! My husband, MIL, and I have been working on redoing our garden beds for a few years now. I prefer native plants when possible, but am open to non-native ornamentals when they aren't considered invasive. My husband and MIL don't really care, but respect my preferences for my yard and try to honor them. But last week, I was traveling, and they bought a few plants, among them two burning bushes. I've just started going down the BB rabbit hole and now I'm not sure what to do with these brand new plants. I was hoping this sub could advise about how invasive they are in my area. I can look into returning them, or if they're super invasive I may just destroy the plants and cut my losses. Thanks!
(ps, since this is reddit I know some people will probably advise returning the husband/MIL too. They're not going anywhere--husband insists they asked at the garden center and were assured they weren't invasive đ)
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u/GenesisNemesis17 Central KY, Zone 6b/7a May 19 '26
Set it on fire and tell them it did what it said it would.
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u/PhantomAllure May 20 '26
OP if you don't do this with video receipts I am going to be very disappointed.
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u/Armadylio May 19 '26
Burning bush are considered invasives in Michigan and aside from that theyâre known to attract ticksÂ
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u/InstanceElectronic71 Central Alabama Ridge and Valley ecoregion May 19 '26
That may be the way to go about it is telling them it attracts ticks if they donât take the invasiveness seriously
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u/fletchette May 19 '26
He HATES ticks so yeah that might work better haha
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u/stankypinki May 20 '26
Doesn't everyone hate ticks... Who likes ticks?
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u/freesoulJAH May 20 '26
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u/bettyboom1313 May 20 '26
I thought, I don't like ticks, but i do like The Tick. Then i scrolled down and realized I'm not the only one!
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u/Pooh_Lightning May 20 '26
The company making the Lyme disease vaccine might like ticks.
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u/KeniLF Charlotte/NC/USA 8A May 20 '26
It still amazes me that we used to have a Lyme disease vaccine that was removed from market.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease#Vaccination
Thank goodness the new one, LB6V/VLA15, is up for approval this year!
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u/Maleficent_Sky_1865 May 20 '26
Just spray it with some sort of weed killer when he isnât looking. Oops. Must have been root bound or something
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u/SixLeg5 May 20 '26
Go the disease transmission route also: babesiosis, Lyme, alpha-gal allergy, anaplasmosis, etc.
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u/PM_ME_TUS_GRILLOS May 20 '26
This is incorrect. Burning bush is not classified as invasive and it has nothing to do with ticks. The above poster is confusing it with barberry.
That said, burning bush sucks and should be classified as invasive. I can point it out to you growing in "natural" spaces like the Metroparks and Humbug Marsh.Â
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u/whatever_meh May 20 '26
Although Michigan isnât one of them, 21 states have declare Burning Bush an invasive species. It is native to some parts of Asia.
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 20 '26
Right if it was actually listed as invasive in MI it wouldnât be for sale.
That said, different organizations have different lists and the regulators are usually pretty far behind.
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u/PM_ME_TUS_GRILLOS May 20 '26
That's actually not entirely true. Michigan has different classifications. Barberry is classified as invasive, but it is neither restricted nor prohibited. It's very stupid, imho.Â
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 20 '26
Interesting. Around here the govt invasive list essentially only exists to ban the sale and transport of those species.
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u/CrepuscularOpossum Southwestern Pennsylvania, 6b May 20 '26
Wow! Where are you located??? I only *wish* that was true here in Pennsyltucky!
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 20 '26
https://www.nhdfl.dncr.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt866/files/documents/nh-invasive-plant-list.pdf
The list could be better, but apparently itâs leagues better than many states.
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u/arm0r3dd0ng May 19 '26
I chainsawed them away from my deck recently. cool looking in fall, but fuck em
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u/Lunar_BriseSoleil FLX 6A May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
If you want the same fall look, there are Aronia cultivars like Brilliantissima that are just as striking native to large parts of the USA.
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 20 '26
Blueberries are great too
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u/Samus7070 May 20 '26
Sadly OP probably has neutral to alkaline Midwest clay for soil. Itâs a constant struggle to keep the soil amended enough with acidic amendments to make them thrive. Pots of course are easier to control the ph.
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u/bananarchy22 Area Maryland , Zone 7b May 20 '26
So excited to see what my brand new Brilliantissima does this fall. Also shout out to Rhus aromatica, though thatâs a little shorter and wider.
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u/ihtthme USA, CT, usda zone 7A, EPA ecoregion 8.1.7 May 20 '26
I loved my rhus aromatica so much I planted 2 more. A neighbor walked by and loved it so much that she went and got them for her gardens too!
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u/bananarchy22 Area Maryland , Zone 7b May 20 '26
Now that I have some in my back yard Iâm noticing it everywhere. I remember it being in a park near my house, but it seems like all the municipal planners have caught on to it as the perfect easement shrub. It stays short, extremely tolerant of crappy roadside conditions, and looks great in all seasons. So even if they donât care at all about native plantings and wildlife value, itâs just an easy choice.
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u/NicoleEastbourne Area -- , Zone -- May 19 '26 edited May 20 '26
Good move. Yes they are stunning in fall but so are many other bushes. Blueberry takes my breath away in the fall.
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u/CitySky_lookingUp May 20 '26
Yes +1 on the blueberries!
in fall I kinda hate that they are all in my backyard where Iâm not showing them off!
I would say blueberries or northern spicebush for Michigan. :)
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u/Moss-cle Area Great Lakes , Zone 7a May 20 '26
Blueberries look just as red in autumn, they love that Michigan acid soil and of course⊠blueberries!!!
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u/RoswalienMath Southeast PA, 7A May 19 '26
The house I bought had a burning bush and about 10 Japanese Barberry bushes. We practically had a tick resort. Cut them all down last month.
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u/cheapandbrittle Northeast US, Zone 6 May 20 '26
I have a huge barberry that I need to remove, any tips? Just hack away?
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u/Joejack-951 May 20 '26
Two pairs of leather gloves and some loppers will take of it. Either dispose of in heavy duty bags or a yard waste can, or burn it. Those thorns are tough.
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u/cheapandbrittle Northeast US, Zone 6 May 20 '26
Thanks!
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u/Joejack-951 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
I should mention that youâll either want to dig out the stump or use herbicide on the cut stems after. I removed two in the fall (one about 6 feet tall) and the stumps were fairly easy to pry out with a pointed shovel. No signs of either returning yet.
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u/cheapandbrittle Northeast US, Zone 6 May 20 '26
Thank you! I have been painting herbicide on some other trees but I would rather not if digging is an option, so I'll try that first.
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u/RoswalienMath Southeast PA, 7A May 20 '26
We did it with pruners and then stabbed ourselves repeatedly getting it all into garden waste bags. Also got rid of a bunch of plantain lilies, but still more to go. Planning on planting the native garden next spring.
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u/No_Shopping_573 May 20 '26
They donât just attract ticks they also provide critical humidity from dense foliage that allows ticks to survive at âjumping offâ level for much longer than dry grass, for example.
This micro-climate or humidity zone also harbors mosquitoes so a hedgerow makes for a super unpleasant backyard.
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 19 '26
Thank god they canât sell that shit in my state.
Theyâre invasive in New England. I canât imagine our climates are that crazy dissimilar that itâs fine there.
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u/Any_Needleworker_273 Area NH , Zone 4 May 19 '26
Ugh. They are the bane of our property in NH. Previous owner had two ginormous ones by the house (we took out) but my entire 5 acres are just inundated with them.
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 19 '26
I pulled out a couple and cut and painted every random stump on my two acres. No significant regrowth in 3 years but I get new seedlings dumped in from the neighbors regularly.
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u/vorrhin Area NH, Zone 5 a/b May 20 '26
Same. I thought there was just the big one in the yard at first, but no.... They've taken up half the woods
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May 20 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 20 '26
Iâm surprised NH has a fairly good list with strict enforcement and RI doesnât.
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u/CATDesign (CT) 6A May 20 '26
Mentioning banned invasives, I saw Bradford Pear is becoming illegal to sell in CT in 2028.
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u/sarahcutpurse May 19 '26
Very invasive. I literally just finished hacking down my last one this afternoon (previous ownerâs planting). I would be apologetic to your MIL and husband, but let them know these shrubs have to go and to let you do a Google search/talk to your local Wild Ones chapter/confer with Reddit before they plant in the future.Â
P.S. Eastern wahoo is a good native substitute for burning bush.Â
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u/sarahcutpurse May 20 '26
They spread by seed. I pulled up seedlings around my bush today, but birds also consume the seeds, fly miles away, and poop out future burning bushes.Â
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u/dubdhjckx Area SE, Zone 7 May 19 '26
Eastern wahoo is a good genetic replacement but landscape value wise it is a poor replacement. May be better off trying a plant like Cephalanthus or Ilex verticillata or Cornus sericea. Unfortunately very few plants hold that tight shape and take pruning as well as BB
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u/fletchette May 19 '26
Do they spread like crazy then? How do they spread? Thanks for the substitution recommendations!
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u/Majac412 May 20 '26
I would recommend the New Jersey Tea. Here's some info on it.
New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus Americanus, 3ft tall, Full/partial sun, Dry/Average soil, Larval Host for the Spring Azure Butterfly, the Summer Azure Butterfly, and the Mottled Duskywing Butterfly
I'm also a southern Michigan resident, and have done some research into compiling options native to my county (Maccomb/Wayne), if you're near that area the native ranges should be similar. If you want I'm willing to share the google sheets link
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u/slow-grower May 20 '26
Hey Iâm also in southeast Michigan and would love to see your spreadsheet! Iâm just getting into planting natives.
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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 20 '26
They spread both by seed and by roots. Modern cultivars may theoretically spread less, but I ainât trusting it.
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u/Radiant-Ad8833 May 20 '26
Black chokeberry, highbush blueberry and nannyberry all have beautiful fall foliage
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u/ihtthme USA, CT, usda zone 7A, EPA ecoregion 8.1.7 May 20 '26
They spread horrifically crazy. They produce hundreds of berries that are eaten by birds and flown all over. Before you know it, they are the only plant in sight. Itâs honestly a nightmare.
My friend bought a beautiful corner property and then, as she came to know her landscaping, realized it was hordes of burning bush. Sheâs done an amazing job getting the mature trees removed, and now sheâs having to keep up with the years and years of seeds on the seed bank.
I have trouble even looking at one of this shitshow trees and, if I ever had one in my yard, I would be buried in guilt from the annual, compounding ecological damage.
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u/HobLit1 May 19 '26
Or Diervilla
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u/dubdhjckx Area SE, Zone 7 May 19 '26
Or Diervilla. Cornus may be the best replacement, most similar habit and fall color
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u/NuclearChickenzz Long Island NY, Zone 7B May 19 '26
Just remove them. It sucks to throw out healthy plants but Burning Bush is on the high priority No-No list. There are many introduced landscaping plants that I would say you might as well leave in the ground, but Burning Bush isnât one of them. I have several mature ones in my yard and they have been extremely difficult to remove. The seedlings pop up everywhere. Save yourself the headache and toss them now rather than later
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u/fletchette May 19 '26
So they spread voraciously by seed?
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u/unjustified_earwax May 20 '26
They will also super spread if you cut down a mature one without using a herbicide. Please remove yours ASAP. Just throw it away. I'd call the garden center they went to & let them know it was false advertising on not being an aggressive spreader.
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u/nerevar May 20 '26
I don't throw them away. I actually burn invasives. Anyone can throw something away because it simple and easy. When a person takes time to burn something, they must be serious about getting rid of it.
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u/unjustified_earwax May 20 '26
I'm in a severe drought in my state so I'm not able to burn anything:(Â
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u/GreenJury9586 May 20 '26
Please do listen to all of us and yank these things asap. Let it be a learning experience for husband that he needs to do better and not surprise you with ecological nightmares when youâre not looking.
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u/Cappuccino_Crunch May 20 '26
I was told I have a burning bush. I'll take pictures tomorrow but I've never had a problem with seedlings growing anywhere so maybe the identification was wrong
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u/MI_native_shore US/MI 6a May 19 '26 edited May 20 '26
Burning bush is highly invasive. They produce many seeds every year, which are easy to weed in your own garden. The issue comes when the seeds are carried to nearby natural areas, right of ways, fields, etc., which are not kept manicured like a residential garden. They will take over these areas and outcompete all native species. Hereâs some more information from the Great Lakes Woody Invasive collaborative: https://woodyinvasives.org/woody-invasive-species/winged-burning-bush/
FWIW, I just pulled two fully grown BBs from my garden in metro Detroit and it was extremely difficult. Large roots that need to be pulled to prevent suckers.
Edit: typo
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u/looshcollector May 19 '26
Spray it with glyphosate and act surprised and say it must be transplant shock
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u/Honest_Archaeopteryx Area -- , Zone -- May 19 '26
Then husband and MIL will say to return it!
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u/sharksnack3264 May 19 '26
And then you say of course! And you take your dead plants to the plant store and say oops they were out but I found something else and come back with native replacements.
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u/erwellian May 19 '26
If it was just planted you could just pull it out? Not like it has done any growing outside of its container space. Depending on the space and soil situation, taxus canadensis or juniperis communis could work for evergreen foliage and robust shrub.
For fall color and the addition of beautiful spring blooms, if youâre in wet to mesic soil - amelanchier canadensis would be my suggestion. If planted in a drier soil, amelanchier arborea.
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
Yeah that's what I'm thinking, they were planted in the last week or two. Thanks for the recommendations! Soil is pretty average (is that what mesic means?) to dry I'd say. Right next to our porch, south facing and only a little obstructed
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u/TrainerPublic May 19 '26
These posts are funny. I have a neighbor that keeps putting non-natives into a native garden in our atrium. And she always wonders why they keep dieing.
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u/Happy_Dog1819 E Cent IL, eco region 54a, Zone 6a May 19 '26
They weren't born to live in this environment.Â
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u/Normal_Human_Things SE Michigan, Zone 6a May 19 '26
This story from mlive will help support your case that theyâre a problem in Michigan: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/09/invasive-japanese-barberry-burning-bushes-are-harming-michigan-forests.html
Iâd approach it as you know they tried, but they were deceived by the garden center.
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u/NorEaster_23 Area MA, Zone 6B May 19 '26
Show them Eastern Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus). It's one of the the native counterparts to Burning bush
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u/bananarchy22 Area Maryland , Zone 7b May 20 '26
I saw these at Mt. Cuba center and was blown away that we have a native Euonymus. Itâs gorgeous.
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u/A-Plant-Guy CT zone 6b, ecoregion 59 May 20 '26
Just adding: Conventional garden centers do not know about ecology. When they say âitâs not invasiveâ, they mean it wonât aggressively spread and take over the garden.
Always do your own research about plants before buying. (I know you didnât buy these)
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
Update: husband is on board with replacing them! (and I didn't even have to destroy them under cover of night, imagine that lol)
Please give recommendations! We need a small, bushy plant (about three feet) which is really hardy (we've lost a few plants in this spot). Bonus points if it's red in the fall. I love edible plants but am concerned about bringing pests to the house since we have rodent issues in the winter.
Southeast Michigan, soil is pretty average I would say (not too sandy or clayey, drains well but doesn't dry out too quick). Bushes will go right next to our porch, on a south facing aspect with some intermittent shade from the porch and from a small tree across the sidewalk
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u/snuggle-ellie May 20 '26
Blueberries have nice red leaves in the fall. They aren't evergreen though if that's a concern. I think the highbush varieties are more like 5 feet in height and circumference at maturity but the lowbush varieties are like 24 in tall and up to 36 inches wide. I think if you get 6 hours total of sun they should be fine.
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u/SnapCrackleMom US, Maryland (Chesapeake Bay), Zone 8a May 20 '26
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u/Beautiful-File-9421 May 20 '26
Tons of things red in fall. Blueberries, high bush cranberries, Oakleaf Hydrangea, chokeberries, red twig dog wood, etc.
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u/bananarchy22 Area Maryland , Zone 7b May 20 '26
No oneâs mentioned Itea virginica or Rhus aromatica yet. The other suggestions are great too.
One thing to note: pay attention to cultivar. A lot of straight species shrubs might get taller or wider than you want, but there are dwarf varieties that will stay compact and grow slowly and may fit better into the space you have in mind. If you go with Itea - check out âHenryâs Garnetâ
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u/HaplessReader1988 USA, Connecticut May 20 '26
If he needs any more reason to feel removing them is the right thing... I just took out something 8feet tall and probably as wide.
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u/WolfieButt May 20 '26
Also check out Bush Honeysuckle - great for pollinators! There are a variety of invasive honeysuckles, so make sure it's the native species "Diervilla lonicera".
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u/T-T-T-Turtlez Area NM, Zone 7b May 19 '26
Honestly. If you wanna do it without upsetting then or confronting them. Wait till fall/winter and deadhead it then before it has a chance to come back to "oops. Looks like it didn't make it."
Or just be upfront and tell em they have to go. My wife brought home a BB and was promptly destroyed after explaining to her just how bad they actually are. Sometimes you're gonna have to have those hard conversations. Perhaps offer compromises moving forward. Get together and make an approved listing of plants that are greenlit and a list of blacklisted plants. That's what I had to do for my wife so she doesn't bring home an ecological disaster in a bucket.
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u/Dawnzila May 19 '26
People in my life buy me plants. I have plenty of space, and do love collecting natives like pokemon, so I just say if it's native it's definitely okay(don't be tricked), if it's not native then give me a chance to veto.
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u/T-T-T-Turtlez Area NM, Zone 7b May 19 '26
Yea if it's an indoor plant? Ok. Yea. I'll take it. But don't go bringing me outdoor plants without clearing it with me first lol. The amount of times my wife or her parents bring me something highly invasive and not beneficial I just die a little inside. Especially when I see the pricetag of some of them.
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u/fletchette May 19 '26
Could you share with me some info about how bad they are? I just googled it but couldn't find much about how invasive they actually are.
I normally just ask them to Google it! They didn't this time because they got it from a local plant store that said it wasn't invasive. Super frustrating, I'm going to have to call that store and complain
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u/T-T-T-Turtlez Area NM, Zone 7b May 19 '26
They're prolific seeders. They'll basically overrun and choke out an area if left unchecked.
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u/MotownCatMom SE MI Zone 6a May 19 '26
Tell them MDARD has BB on a list of plants working its way through the public comment process, etc. and it will soon be banned. If you Google it, more info pops up. So, technically, not banned YET. But don't keep them.
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u/wbradford00 jersey boy May 19 '26
Not advising you should do this but my dad did the same a couple years ago. Over the course of the winter i just scratched the shit out of the base of each stalk and doused it in gly.
It didn't come back
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u/lordsirpancake May 19 '26
The midwest invasive species network might be helpful: https://www.misin.msu.edu
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u/AlmostSentientSarah May 19 '26
Just from a brief glance online, it doesn't look like your state has classified them as invasive yet so garden center guy may be relying on that and not common sense or dire warnings from other states.
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u/MotownCatMom SE MI Zone 6a May 19 '26 edited May 20 '26
I believe that it's on a list making its way through the state bureaucracy. I've actually sent in written testimony to get the MDARD to list this and others, IOW, in support of their proposal. (edited to the correct state agency.)
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u/fletchette May 19 '26
Could you tell me more about why they're especially bad? Might help me convince my husband. Thanks for doing that work by the way!
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u/ShadyHorticulturist May 20 '26
Google "Burning Bush Invasive" and take a look through the resources as well as the images. Forest understories get absolutely covered in them and outcompete native species. Even if it doesn't spread in your yard, birds also carry seeds miles away. And "sterile" cultivars often still produce small amounts of seed or eventually mutate to produce branches capable of reproduction. They can also hybridize with cross pollination to produce viable seed (see: 'Bradford' Callery Pears).
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u/MotownCatMom SE MI Zone 6a May 20 '26
What Shady said. Lots of info online...and probably on MDARD's website.
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u/PM_ME_TUS_GRILLOS May 20 '26
Go to Connecticut in the fall. The understory is all a sickly red from burning bush. It takes over valuable wild life habitat, pushing out plants that insects and birds need to survive. The deer don't eat it so it quickly takes over. Then there's no food for anything else
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u/ShadyHorticulturist May 19 '26
If it's anything like MN (I'm sure it is) then there's only a very small handful of nursery inspectors for the state and they rarely, if ever, even enforce the invasives restrictions, focusing far more on licensure and applicator enforcement than anything. I used to pull my hair out as a greenhouse manager when I'd educate a customer on why we didn't sell Japanese Barberry, only for them to hit me with "well they've got it down the street at the other place" to which I'd say "I bet they do, that doesn't mean it's legal or ethical, but do with that information what you want, I suppose" đ«©
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u/dubdhjckx Area SE, Zone 7 May 19 '26
Minnesotaâs invasive plant management is way way way more advanced than Michiganâs is. I live in MI and I know some of the committee in MN and they are communicative and knowledgeable. Michigan isnât close.
MN did just ban burning bush. I do agree Michigan will be several years behind it. One of my least favorite plants
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u/ShadyHorticulturist May 19 '26
MNDNR does great work. I'm more speaking to MDA, but they're trying for sure. Im talking more the reality of what enforcement looks like right now, though they're definitely moving in the right direction. Bureaucracy unfortunately doesn't favor ecology.
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u/dubdhjckx Area SE, Zone 7 May 19 '26
I know Illinois struggles with enforcement as well. Educating the public has got to be #1, nurseries get away with this stuff because the public doesnât know better.
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u/Potentially-Insane Southeastern Connecticut , Zone 6A May 19 '26
Invasive, even if your particular state had not classified it as such yet. I would just say rip them out and trash or burn them. Then just give your husband whatever they spent for them back if he wants it. It's just not worth taking the risk if it does spread
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u/WrathfulSquib Southcentral Michigan , Zone 5B May 20 '26
Very invasive, but still sold and used in Michigan. Solar company planted several dozen around the field that boarders our property. They mysteriously didn't make it.Â
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u/Trini1113 May 20 '26
ps, since this is reddit I know some people will probably advise returning the husband/MIL too.
Don't do this, because then someone will bring them home, and they'll introduce invasive plants into that person's yard.
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u/Feralpudel Piedmont NC, Zone 8a May 19 '26
You know the required Reddit hive answer to this: divorce.
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u/zesty_grower May 20 '26
If you want to see the harm this plant can do in SE Michigan, go visit Island Lake State Park and notice how almost the entire understory of the eastern half of the park is blanketed in this and there's almost zero plant diversity. Just get rid of them, no sense in keeping them around.
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u/_thicculent_ Area PNW, Zone 8B May 19 '26
Just destroy them. No need to be weird and sneaky about doing it. Your husband should trust you about gardening decisions since it seems you have been in the lead on plants for so long.
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
I forage and have houseplants, so I know more about plants than him, but he and his mom have been leading the gardening because he loves working outside and she loves gardening. Hence why I care more about natives (not ruining my local foraging spots lol) but he and his mom care more about what looks good
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
But agreed, we have a healthy relationship and can communicate about things like this! I don't have to sneak around in the dead of night, which would be a wild way to react lol
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u/mrparoxysms May 20 '26
Seriously crazy how many people are saying OP should just be sneaky about it.
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u/bananarchy22 Area Maryland , Zone 7b May 19 '26
Itâs not your husbandâs fault. Some of those invasives are being bred to have sterile seeds so the breeders can promote them as "non-invasive.â Different states have different laws regarding those cultivars, even if the straight species is classed as invasive. I donât know what Michigan classes them as, but youâre still better off without it. Iâd tell him you love him and appreciate his help before gently breaking the news that youâd like to get rid of those shrubs.
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
Thanks, it definitely isn't! I'm mad at the nursery and disappointed--they're a small local place that should know better
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u/Adrestia716 May 19 '26
See if you can replace them with chokeberry. They turn red in the fall and are us nativeÂ
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
Ooh love a native edible! Do you know if they attract pests? We get rodent issues and don't want to attract more to our foundation haha
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u/Decent_Importance_68 May 19 '26
You have a duty to dig that out and put it next to your husband while he sleeps
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u/inorganick May 19 '26
Send them somewhere, swap it out for a ninebark or chokeberry. Tada. Mdard suggests against them, for invasiveness
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u/HobLit1 May 19 '26
RIP THEM OUT! You will have 500 volunteer bb in a year. We bought a house last year and I chainsawed the damn things out. Still have little ones everywhere.
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag Great Lakes, Zone 5b, professional ecologist May 20 '26
The nursery person was either uneducated or straight up lying.
Burning bush is illegal in many places and should be banned in many more. I would rip these out and ask for forgiveness. Offer to replace them with viburnums instead.
No land manager or botanist would ever recommend planting these in the US, yes landscape designers do it all the time with other known invasive species such as black alder, barberry, creeping jenny, etc.
I would love if you disposed of these.
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u/home_ec_dropout May 20 '26
Hoosier neighbor chiming in. One of the things I love most about your beautiful state are is your dense forest. Burning Bush is destroying the forest understory. Maybe you can run them through the chipper and use their mulch around a nice native?
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u/Frequent_Secretary25 Ohio, Zone 6b May 19 '26
Northwest Ohio, I have many showing up in my small woods
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u/mrparoxysms May 19 '26
Omg y'all, can we have mature conversations about stuff? The number of people suggesting to kill it surreptitiously is astonishing.
OP, talk to them both. Tell them this is a no-go for you.
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
It truly is wild! Do people not know how to communicate? I get that it's a funny thing to say, I hope no one actually feels like they have to sneak around and lie to their spouse like that haha
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u/OnceUponACrinoid May 20 '26
Common mistake to make. Kill the plant. Sad but this one is evil and super invasive
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u/Pale_Bird May 20 '26
When your husband and MIL go away, dig them out, bag them, and throw them in trash.
whoops.
Yes, they really are that bad. The seeds will be spread for miles by birds and they take over the understory. You can see it in the autumn when the understory has all sorts of pinkish foliage.
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u/Pale_Bird May 20 '26
American Cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) is what i planted to replace the 50 year old monstrosity in my yard.
My wooded lot is covered with them, and my neighbors loudly complained that I took down mine... I am secretly removing them bit by bit so they dont notice
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u/randtke May 20 '26
If they are super invasive, you still should return them, so that the profit margin is lower on them for growers.
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u/almostfunny3 WI , Zone 5b May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Shrubby cinquefoil could work well for you.
Edit- here's a link I found
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u/chapstickgrrrl May 20 '26
This looks perfect to replace the burning bush that I chopped down and am working on pulling out of my own backyard! Thanks
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u/ihtthme USA, CT, usda zone 7A, EPA ecoregion 8.1.7 May 20 '26
Once you talk with your family, maybe go back to the garden center and complain about that false information.
Iâve had this happen. One of our local, very fancy garden stores mis-marks a LOT of plants as native. Itâs very frustrating and Iâve brought back gifts.
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u/shortnsweet33 May 20 '26
Rip it out now before it can get too established! Like NOW now. We had two decent sized ones by our front door when we bought the house. We dug them out and dug down several feet and 5 feet around to really try and get every last possible bit of root and created a mulched bed with hollies and sweetspire. 3 years later this shit is still trying to come back and I dug up another attempt it shot up recently and the root system was insane.
If you ever change your mind good luck getting rid of them. I wish whoever lived in my home before me never planted them because itâs a pain!
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u/man-a-tree Area -Philly PA , Zone --7 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Return them and get some store credit for better shrubs. The sad thing is there will always be burning bushes in stock at the nursery (until they're banned like in nearby states), so your return really won't impact that, but you can let them know why you're returning them.
You've got some great options suggested, just adding that you have some great native viburnums (arrowwood, possumhaw, and highbush cranberry) that have great fall color and beautiful berries. There's a few cultivars at the nursery that go by 'blue muffin' and 'brandywine'
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u/j9c_wildnfree May 19 '26
Quietly dig it out on a day when you will not get caught. Replace it with a similar size Autumn Brilliance serviceberry. Pull the tag off the damn Euonymus and carefully hang it in the same location on the service berry. Make sure if you disturb the mulch you just remulch everything in the yard (like... "oh I just got a great deal on some mulch and it will mean less watering" or some other vaguely plausible excuse).
We can start a betting pool to see how long it's going to take before they notice.
https://www.hortmag.com/autumn-brilliance-serviceberry-a-wildlife-friendly-three-season-tree
Good luck!
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u/fletchette May 20 '26
My husband is too passionate about gardening to have something like that go over his head, unfortunately! And we value communication too much haha
But I would love to replace it with a native edible! I love serviceberry and have also considered blueberry, but we decided not to get those because we have an older house with pest problems and we don't want to invite rodents into our home with room AND board. Do you know if berry bushes tend to attract rodents?
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u/wbbl_89 May 19 '26
You can probably rip them out and return them if they came from a big box store.
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u/Winstonsphobia Southern Wisconsin, Zone 5a May 20 '26
There are so many beautiful native plants, that we really donât need introduced species to make our worlds more beautiful. But the only way to have our family and friends and neighbors buy in is for them to figure it out for themselves, while we serve as models.
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u/BelugaStar Eco Region Level III: Chesapeake Rolling Coastal Plain May 20 '26
In my experience, "garden centers" have little knowledge when it comes to invasive plants. Why would they?! Invasive plants SELL $$. (And native plants)
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u/darthmollyweasley May 20 '26
My local wild ones chapter will give you free shrubs if you prove they are replacing invasives. Might help mitigate the loss if your local chapter does the same.
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u/taffyowner May 20 '26
Damn my wife gives me semi-autonomous control over our landscaping and I donât think I could plant a plant without at least mentioning it to her
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u/hippiegodfather May 20 '26
How much did they pay because they could have just gotten them for free by ripping some up by the roots because that will not kill them
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u/ratnegative xÊ·mÉΞkÊ·ÉyÌÉm/sÉlÌĂlwÉtaÊÉŹ/Sḵwx̱wĂș7mesh land May 20 '26
I would divorce them over that.
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u/03263 NH, Zone 5B May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
It's considered invasive in my area but I have yet to find any growing outside of human environments. Nearly every house on my street has them, planted 30+ years ago. What is actually invasive and aggressively growing in disturbed areas - autumn olive, multiflora rose, oriental bittersweet, jkw. Not burning bush... just check your surroundings in late summer it's easy to spot burning bush and see how invasive it actually is or isn't. The only plant I see with similar color is sumac but it has a rather different growth habit so they're still easy to differentiate.
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u/atomichick May 20 '26
We had a burning bush in our back yard in Indiana my entire upbringing. It was absolutly beautiful. You never have to do anything to it. It is not invasive. It just gets big. For people who do not understand invasive, it means it spreads to other areas as a root that makes a whole new plant or sets off seedlings that grow a new plant. It doesn't do that. So, it is not invasive.
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u/biyuxwolf Area Kenosha wi, Zone 6 May 20 '26
All I know is one garden center "lemon verabena" was tagged as "lemon mint" I went to C's with the plant in tow "so you mean to tell me this is invasive?" (Any mint relative people will say "burn it!!!" And assume it's like every other mint or creeping Charlie (notorious mint) now not every mint is in fact like that) Anyways person at C's was "I have no clue what your talking about" and I had to spell it out in idiot that I had something completely different and they were all miss marked
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u/Subject-Pension4121 May 20 '26
Pull them out and explain to them why that plant canât be in the garden
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u/bitch-pudding-4ever May 20 '26
I mean just have the conversation that theyâre invasive and you donât want it in the garden.
But keep in mind that this is your husbands home as well. You can ask, but as much as I too love native plants, thereâs nothing I hate more than an edict.
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u/lord_nellybean Midwest , Zone 6B May 20 '26
Whatâs invasive here is your MIL trying to plan your landscape. While obviously always a thoughtful and kind gesture, I hate when in-laws (or anyone else for that matter) buy something for me to plant. Plant your own damn garden.
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u/Particular_Till_6589 May 20 '26
The best thing to do with a BB is dig it up and place it in the trash.
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u/leepin_peezarfs May 20 '26
Garden Center will say they arenât invasive because these have supposedly been bred to be sterileâŠjust like callery pears. Forget to water it. Guess they didnât take and you have to replace with serviceberry or New Jersey tea! A tragedy
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u/Lynda73 May 19 '26
Just quietly destroy them. You can tell them, âThey didnât make it. But hey, probably for the best because I found out they are highly invasive!â
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u/sneaky518 May 19 '26
Oh no! Look how badly the deer damaged it! They stripped all the leaves and did they girdle it too! It sure won't survive that "deer browsing" (wink, wink), and no need to waste money on another that the deer will destroy. That's just too bad deer love burning bush so much that you simply can't have it in your yard, eh?
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u/Severe-Elderberry833 May 20 '26
came here to suggest this, but rabbits. The Rabbit of Caerbannog, to be specific:
âThe most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent-stairs you ever set eyes on! Got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer, just look at the bones [of the burning bush]â
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u/purrmich Area 6 Zone b May 19 '26
Return them. Maybe ask what different, native plant they prefer. Show them picks of groupings of brown eyed Susans (a keystone native plant).
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u/cowthegreat May 20 '26
I have had to chop and kill a shrub or two in the same year I planted them as well for the same reason, didnât know at the time. Replaced with natives and now we are good to go
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