my neighbor is intentionally propagating and planting english holly, planting english laurel, bamboo, , they also have butterfly bush.
They plant these along the property lines of their yard. The plants spread to my yard, where I am constantly pulling them up.
I brought this up to her earlier this evening, explaining that they are invasive, spread into the woods, etc. she became very angry saying that they do no harm and stating that if I didn't want them in my yard I should just dig them up and throw them away. She then shut the door on me.
Can you assist in any way?

Reporter
July 18, 2013, 2:13 p.m.

Hi, Linda. Thanks for your email. That sounds like a drag, perhaps made more so by the absence of any code or statute requiring removal of any of the species you mentioned. Bamboo, holly, laurel, and butterfly bush remain commercially available (and, in some cases, important), despite observations to the contrary. Of the group, only butterfly bush has some restrictions on it: plants available for sale must be sterile or nearly sterile. The primary tactic homeowners have is to convince neighbors of the general risk to the neighborhood, which sounds like maybe an uphill struggle in your case. For what it's worth, there are a number of factsheets available which highlight the invasive tendencies of laurel, holly, and butterfly bush: GardenSmart, the 4 County CWMA, and our local Soil & Water Conservation Districts (EMSWCD & WMSWCD).

I know it's not the news you were hoping for but feel free to contact me directly at mitch.bixby@portlandoregon.gov, if additional strategizing seems helpful.

-Mitch

Mitch Bixby
July 30, 2013, 3:02 a.m.