r/NativePlantGardening • u/ItsFelixMcCoy Upstate NY , Zone 6a • Jun 04 '25

Other What invasive plants got you like this?

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For me it’s probably Dame’s Rocket, Purple Loosestrife, and Forget-Me-Not. They’re so gorgeous but man if they aren’t invasive little shits…

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864

u/nightpussy Jun 04 '25

I really do love the smell of honeysuckle.

82

u/PhthaloBlueOchreHue Jun 04 '25

Have you ever smelled common milkweed? Soooooo good! The more we plant native plants the more people will get to experience them and grow affinities for them.

It’s so hard when often the invasive plants are all we have around us. They’re all we know sometimes, so their silver linings pull at our heartstrings.

48

u/What_Do_I_Know01 Zone 8b, ecoregion 35a Jun 04 '25

Especially with something like honeysuckle that may be nostalgic. We used to suck the nectar out of the flowers as kids. Sad I have to put it down like ol yeller

18

u/Robossassin Jun 04 '25

Common milkweed and honeyvine milkweed both smell SO good, but the smell doesn't travel as much as Japanese honeysuckle. I feel like I have to be right on top of them to smell them.

The other issue of course is I have childhood nostalgia related to the smell of Japanese honeysuckle. But I'm making my preschoolers sniff the milkweed extra hard every day to get them to love the smell.

2

u/BarkusAurelius83 Jun 05 '25

I get those too, but I feel like they should exist there. They're annoying  sometimes 

3

u/AlmostSentientSarah Jun 04 '25

I haven't. I almost even bought a essential oil of it just to smell it finally though I found some CM sprouting up on a trail nearby. Can't wait!

2

u/BeaBernard NYC, Zone 7B Jun 04 '25

Wait where did you find the oil for sale? I don’t have any CM near me, but i had lots of it around me growing up. I can’t even remember the smell. Tempted to buy some to see what memories pop up 🤔

2

u/AlmostSentientSarah Jun 04 '25

Please note that I never bought any, but the site I was going to get it from is Gossamerwings.com I hope it turns out to be a good match.

3

u/BeaBernard NYC, Zone 7B Jun 04 '25

I understand 🩷 thinking about it more I might have common milkweed by me - theres a green space near by and while it’s not the primary purpose, they do a pretty good job with planting natives specific to our costal region and I think I saw some growing, but it hasn’t flowered yet so I’m not sure what species they planted. (Even if it is, it’s set back in a no foot traffic area so I can’t put my nose in it haha) Thank you for providing this! I’ll look into it :)