I pull mine up by the hand fulls. I try not to use any chemicals.

While you guys are figuring out how to best kill my ferns, I have happier news! I tagged along with Dad to Home Depot. We go to the one in the "ghetto" which is Florida Ave and Busch Blvd for those who know Tampa. Seriously, there was a security guard with a gun in the garden center! The reason we like to go there is that it's the "contractor's" store so they tend to have more items and a large quantity of stock. Of course, they didn't have cheesecloth which I use to cover my caterpillar tanks with so I guess I'll have to keep on the lookout for that. Anyway, I went to check the garden center because I was looking for a specific plant - Tampa Vervain (Glandularia tampensis). It's an endangered plant and I used to have some but they eventually died off. I was looking to replace them and believe or not, Home Depot has carried them for years. The pots were different today but usually they're in those black pots that read "Florida Friendly Plants" on them. I think I read once they're grown in Riverview. Well, they had them so I bought six. And there weren't any pictures of them in the Plant Database so I added a couple. I'll take more when I get a chance. The reason I wanted to take pictures was to show you guys how similar (yet different) they are to the purple lantana. It's easy to get fooled, but Home Depot actually labels their plants pretty well and even had the Latin name on the Tampa Vervain which impressed me.

Okay, here's what the purple lantana looks like.



But here's Tampa Vervain. The centers of the flowers are different and the leaves are a lighter green.



Unfortunately, they were selling a Buddleia which is considered an invasive plant. This one had a tag that said it was "A non-invasive and ecologically responsible choice". I took a picture of the tag so you guys would know I'm not making this up. I wondered how it was non-invasive. I did some Googling and it looks like LSU was involved in the creation of this series. It said the seed was "less viable", not sterile, which means it could still spread. For those out there planning a butterfly garden, I know it's tempting to buy something with the word "butterfly" right in it. But don't! Please! Go native! If you want, plant "Butterfly Weed" (Asclepias tuberosa). It's native and will feed your Monarchs! Anyway, here's the tag.



I did have another piece of good fortune, though. I was perusing the seed packets, which is usually a waste of time. But they had Blanket Flowers there and they had my absolute favorite variety which is called 'Goblin'. I bought four packs and I'm going to inundate the area right in front of our house with them. They can take that full Florida sun and heat. Now, I have to go order some other plants...it's hard to get off ATP sometimes!

Oo, Melanie that's a headache isn't it! I think you're right, anything you spray on those ferns will definitely kill off the bromeliads too, as they feed so much through their leaves. You could try painting on some liquid weed killer, but there's no guarantee it won't wash off before the leaves absorb it, and get around where you didn't want it. Maybe try it on one plant, just paint the ends of the leaves and see what happens? Salty water works on some plants, not sure about ferns, but it might be worth a try.

I don't think any of the weed killers that are absorbed through the leaves will hurt your tree, though. Just be sure to protect plants below from any over-spray. (and obviously don't spray when it's windy).

Those ferns are really hard to get rid of. They make little tubers underground that sprout up into new plants just when you think you've got them all! At least the ones in the trees won't make tubers! But I would just take your pruning shears and cut off all the foliage. If you keep cutting off the leaves, the plant will die eventually. That will certainly be easier than pulling them all off that rough bark!

The ones in the ground are generally easier to get rid of. The fact that they're connected underground means I can tear up a whole string of them. I've actually cleaned that tree of them before and they still come back. The roots are so tough to pull out - they're much stronger than you would think. But you have a point, if I kept cutting the foliage they wouldn't have a way to photosynthesize any food and would die off, right? I also have some growing over in the side yard where it's pretty shady and they're away from nearly all of my butterfly plants. Maybe I can do a test over there and see if a weed killer would kill them without say, killing the grass or other weeds around them. I hate to resort to chemicals, but even I admit you sometimes have to use them sparingly. Although, it's usually wasp spray and fire ants I'm trying to kill, not plants.

Melanie...when in college, we lived in a duplex on a street behind Als motel off Nebraska between fowler and fletcher. That was 1976, but you get the drift. We finally moved to Lutz off Livingston and then built a house in Lutz. There was a bank and a grocery store. Thats it. How the world keeps spinning.

I have that boston fern everywhere too, I pull it or round up it, I realize the tree and bromiliads are the issue. Im having the same issue with trying to get ivy from growning up the trees. I think Im going to try vinegar.. Ive been fighting shrimp plants all afternoon. Boy can things get away from you.

Pam, we lived on North 15th St about a mile below Fowler from 1972-1994. (I was born in 1979.) We moved to Lutz in 1994 when we had the house built and we're off Livingston on a little cul-de-sac with fourteen houses (seven on each side, basically). There's a lot more in Lutz than there used to be but we still have the cow pastures and enough nature to satisfy me. But we're also still close enough to the hospital, our doctors, entertainment, and necessities that it's very convenient. My parents we're looking at homes in New Tampa at first, but the deed restrictions and HOA kept them from building there. And with the traffic on Bruce B Downs I would hate living up there!

to @plantladylin for importing my pictures of the Southern Sword Fern into the Plant Database. Sometimes I swear I just forget to do things like that. And I've really been trying to add to the database, especially since I'm lucky enough to have so many labeled plants growing at MOSI.

Melanie, you are very welcome ... they are great photos!

So I had my baby spring veg seedlings in the sm GH. It's been chilly & cloudy so the door was zipped up. Yesterday, in the blink of an eye, it went fm 60s & dreary to bright sun & 75. By the time I realized what had happened, & I flung the GH door open, it was too late. The seedlings were fried. Luckily, the tomato plants were a bit larger, and on the less sunny side of the GH. I was starting these for out Heritage Garden at the Fair.................guess I'll be heading to HD to see if I can find some plants. So sad, esp since I had saved these from the curious kitty monsters & they seemed to be enjoying it out in the GH.

To drown my sorrows, I'm off to HD to get dirt & manure to get my new beds started. Will need to trek up to JAX in the next few days to get some cotton compost. Wish someone down here would start to carry it.

What a bummer Jean.

Sorry about the veggies Jean. It was a nice day tho Thats cool doing a garden at the fair, sounds fun.
I too am headed to HD for manure and other 'soil' things. I got a notice that some daylilies had shipped yesterday, so I want to be ready for them. Luckily, I got the pine fines last week. I wanted to move some azeals, but they require rather large holes, and I found out yesterday, that my back isnt so interested in the whole digging thing I think Im going to try to get at more shrimp plants and trim back the plumbago. I cant believe the freeze didnt kill them back.

You could try alfalfa pellets as a great amendment instead of the cotton compost, Jean. It's available at any feed store for about $16 for a 50lb. bag. The school garden never grew better since we've been adding that stuff as our 'give back' amendment.

Only down side to it is it seems to be attracting a bunny to our garden . . the kids think that is really great! But if you have cats, you won't have any bunny worries.

The daylilies love the alfalfa as well. In my yard, which is kinda woodsy anyway, it draws, rats, mice, raccoons, etc....I had to just go with lime..manure...the usual.

Wouldnt you know my husband is home with a migraine. I want to be out digging and putting in some new stuff and move some things, and I dont want him to know until its done. He has some 'thing' about moving plants and I just dont want to listen to it. Every time I bring home a new plant, he goes...Oh another one to kill . He thinks he is darn cute....I it. If he sees it after its done, he doesnt mind. I think the whole thing is he just donest want to have to do it

I've used alfalfa pellets before. Only I take a big bucket, wet them down, then let them "cook" for a while. Doesn't seem to attract rodents/other pests. Course my big ole 18 lb. barn cat probably has a little something to do with that. Along the Hawks, Owls, Bobcat's etc.

I'm gonna need a couple of Advil tonight. Been out wacking back stuff and "trying" to clean the shadecloth over the little shade house while it's still relatively vacant. I'm itching to get stuff back to their proper places, but for now have just moved a few things out under the tree's near the greenhouse. Don't want to go toooo far yet, just in case.

That's what I do with them at home, too. Make a nice alfalfa 'porridge' out of them and let it steep a bit. It smells worse but works better if you do that. Great booster for the compost too.

At the school, the kids just dig the pellets into the soil, then we water them in, and the bunny digs them up. arg. Along with our bean plants and other delicious bunny fodder. Oh well, it's all a lesson for the kids. We talk about 'if we could have a dog' or a cat at school, and "if we were a farmer we'd train our dog to patrol the field". Which is the whole point of the exercise, to make the kids more aware of what it takes to grow food.

[Removed by Dave]

No need for personal attacks here, David. Your post was ok until you started naming names and calling people 'spoiled'. No place for that here....
Let's all go gardening, and get along....

Well said Hetty.

David Paul, I am sure you are a nice guy and I know you grow lots of plants really well, but please, show some respect to others on ATP. If you don't like a forum or a thread, just ignore or delete it. ATP has room for all, but we want to keep it civil.

Yeah I don't like banning people from the site, but your actions are completely inconsistent with the friendly atmosphere here at ATP. @DavidofDeLand I don't want to see a post from you like that again. If I do, it'll be your last post on this site.