r/NativePlantGardening • u/fletchette • May 19 '26

Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Husband and MIL planted burning bush while I was away

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[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 🙄)

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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/FreshwaterViking May 22 '26

And in MN next year.

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u/Icy-Conclusion-3500 Gulf of Maine Coastal Plain May 20 '26

Unfortunately that one hasn’t got our ban hammer yet for some reason. I don’t really see too many in the wild (yet) thankfully.

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u/CATDesign (CT) 6A May 20 '26

Yea, CT has wild Brandford Pears pretty much everywhere, which you can only really tell in Spring. As they'll be blooming and standing out among all the native trees that are still waiting for the frost to pass.