It has gone to weed status here but before I knew its name I was fascinated by the berry clusters and colors - so pretty!

Then someone outside the U.S. was looking for seeds because it was so "GORGEOUS". I picked from the empty lot in my street and sent her some.

Ever since then I've kind of wanted to put a single specimen in a pot on my deck (away from everything so it will stand out. And so I can pull the seedlings that will inevitably come up around it. (They're really easy to pull when they're new.)

Now that I know I can use the berries for dye, I WILL DO IT THIS YEAR!

So thank you for telling me how the plant is USEFUL as well as beautiful!

Thank you Crittergarden, I hope you will plant it this year, I have had mine for five years and it hasn't been a problem with spreading too much, and as you say the new plants are easy to pull. I do have thick mulch on the beds so not many seeds get to sprout.

I love the new leaves in the spring, so strong and lush and in the fall if the weather is right the colors are amazing. This year the colors didn't happen, we had a very sudden freeze and the leaves just shriveled up.

Take care and have fun gardening and observing nature.

We're not able to grow many large plants with the large green leaves here! I keep them on one side of the property now, not much water given them, but they do okay, just some wilting when it doesn't rain for a while (often during the summer). They bloom and make lots of berries in spite of everything. I grow them for the birds! And other things eat some of the foliage. They must have deep roots here. The birds give them enough fertilizer, so I don't bother. Here's my grove of pokeberry plants earlier this fall. The foliage is all zapped by cold now, will be back in spring!

That looks great Linda, thank you for showing us yours.
What is the name of the bird in your avatar? It is beautiful!!

It's a Painted Bunting, Josephine. They come here every year now!

It sure is gorgeous, I wish they would come here as well.

I believe you could grow them.
You'd have to water them more.
And they probably wouldn't spread by self seeding....
Want some seeds?

Here in my little patch of paradise, I give it weed status (no offense). The birds have planted it for me in several locations. I fight it in some, leave it be in others. Had to fight with myself to reach the "leave it be" status, though. Had to remind myself that my ultimate goal for my yard is to be wildlife friendly. So when this beauty grows in the areas I've designated for wildlife, I leave it be.

fiwit said: Had to fight with myself to reach the "leave it be" status, though. Had to remind myself that my ultimate goal for my yard is to be wildlife friendly. So when this beauty grows in the areas I've designated for wildlife, I leave it be.

Good compromise, fiwit. That's my goal as well, but my yard is so TINY!!! There's a rush pile in the corner between the compost and the fence and that's about it! Although I DO choose many of my pretty plants for the pollinators.

Critter, I have the advantage of living in the "used to be country," as I call it. My lot is at least 3/4 acre.

I had 6 acres in the mountains of North California for my first house.
But I need the city for PRIVACY. Yes, can you believe it? I got real tired of living in a fishbowl.

My yard is only 1/3 acre in the city, but it is a corner lot so it allows me a little more elbow room.

My Pokeberries are in the back bed by the fence where i have many other critter friendly plants.

I also have an evergreen shrub corner as as shelter for birds and other small wildlife near my compost area.

We get several huge plants at the edges of our woods, and I've always admired their color. I didn't know that about the fermented fruit and the tipsy birds! LOL

I have 2 very large ones that come back every year. As a matter of fact I broke them off at the ground and they are already coming back. I love them. Small yard also.

Noxious weed here in Iowa.Birds planted it in soybean fields & regular herbicides didn't kill it. Farmers had to spend $$$ for extra sprayings to eradicate it. Course they don't get it all & it will be back again this year.
sewNsow

Sometimes there's no chemical substitute for hand weeding....

I agree. If they are hand pulled when seedlings they come right up. Not sure how much area the farmers have but it is also safer to hand pull. Herbicides aren't good for the people whom eat the crops.