greene said:At a local honeybee meeting last year and one of the members (who shall remain nameless) was handing out free seeds so the members could plant this tree for the bees.
ShadyGreenThumb said:I have a large volunteer Chinese Tallow in the front yard. After the loss of two Bradford Pear Trees to lighting strikes and high wind, we welcomed the quick shade it brought back to our front yard. I had been warned that the tree can become mis-shapened at the 8 year mark. That is not the case. We have had this tree for about 15 years and it is a beautiful natural shape. Others in the neighborhood have been trimmed up nicely as well. The tree goes to seed seasonally and sprout about as much as my oaks and some of the elderberry and cottonwoods in the forest behind the house. But it doesn't take much to keep that under control. I find many weeds much more invasive. Maybe it is not invasive because I let it grow? I love the tree's awesome fall colors.
Horntoad said:... Yes, as are many other plants. My entire subdivision would be a forest of Chinese Elm trees if left to grow. And, the entire state of Florida would be a forest of Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolia) if left to grow. There are thousands of acres of the invasive Brazilian Pepper here in the state and it's listed as a Category I non-native invasive.
When plants like this are listed as invasive, it is referring to the ecological impact, not how it behaves in the garden. Birds eat the seed and deposit them in natural area where take over, pushing out native species. Chinese Tallow is a major offender as are Ligustrums