• Blog
    • General Gardening
    • Gardening for Children
    • Gardening Videos
    • Insect Pests
    • Landscape Design
    • Trees
    • Vegetables & Fruits
    • Weeds
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Event Announcements
  • Gardening Videos
  • Resources
    • Western North Carolina Gardening Guide
    • Online Resources
      • Soil Testing Information for Home Gardeners
    • Speakers Bureau
  • Garden Helpline
    • Collecting Samples of Plants and Insects
  • The Learning Garden
  • About Us
    • About Us
      • How to Become an Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer
    • The Association
    • Contact Us
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Sponsors
      • Sponsors: 2019 WNC Gardening Symposium
    • Donate
Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County
Blog / Pest Management / Weeds / My Weed, Your Flower: Beware Inviting These Aggressive Spreaders into the Garden

My Weed, Your Flower: Beware Inviting These Aggressive Spreaders into the Garden

May 15, 2018

Oxeye daisy, fleabane, evening primrose, and dame’s rocket have pretty flowers that can beguile us into inviting them into our gardens. Although birds and pollinators may appreciate them, they tend to spread rampantly, making us soon regret our invitation!

The plants
Oxeye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) are a perennial European species commonly found along roadsides, disturbed areas, and pastures. Oxeye daisies love moist clay soils and thrive in our region. Plants and flowers are similar to Shasta daisies grown in gardens: Leucanthemum x superbum (formerly Chrysanthemum x superbum). Oxeye daisies grow 1- to 2-feet tall and have yellow centers with white petals. They form spreading clumps through their rhizomatous roots, dispersing plentiful seeds and displacing native plants.

Oxeye daises (Leucanthemum vulgare)_Ali Eminov_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Oxeye daisy in bloom
Oxeye daisy leaf_Leucanthemum vulgare_Matt Lavin_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Oxeye daisy leaf
Annual fleabane_Melissa McMasters_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Fleabane in flower

Fleabanes (Erigeron annuus) are native plants that are members of the aster family. They, too, are found on roadsides, fields, and disturbed areas, grow 1- to 2-feet tall and have yellow centers with white rays, although their flowers are smaller than oxeye daisies. They can be useful wildflowers in waste areas, but fleabanes have deep tap roots, making them difficult to pull. Their fluffy seed heads, like dandelions, spread these plants far and wide. Plants can serve as hosts to tomato ringspot virus.

Evening primroses (Oenothera biennis) are pretty, yellow-blooming plants, 3- to 5-feet tall, often seen on fence rows, fields, and disturbed areas. This native biennial produces leaves the first year and flowers the second. True to its name, the flowers open in the evening. Evening primroses also have a deep tap root. Another attractive wildflower for waste areas, they produce massive amounts of seed and can be invasive.

Evening primrose_Oenothera biennis_flowers_Andreas Rockstein_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Evening primrose in flower
Evening primrose_Oenothera biennis_tall stout stem_Charles de Mille-Isles_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Evening primrose stalk
Evening primrose_Oenothera biennis_seed pods_Andreas Rockstein_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Evening primrose seed pods

Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis), a European import, looks like wild phlox, but if you examine its white, pink, or purple flowers you will notice that each floret has four petals, not five like phlox. Also, its lance-shaped leaves are “toothed,” while phlox leaves have smooth edges. Dame’s rocket is a 3- to 4-feet tall, pretty weed that flowers in May and June. It is often sold in packets of mixed wildflowers. Like other weeds, dame’s rocket spreads aggressively through seeding.

Dames-Rocket_flower_Indiana Ivy Nature Photography_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Dame’s rocket in flower
Dame's Rocket_Hesperis matronalis_whole plant-leaves-flowers_NY State IPM Program_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Dame’s rocket leaves

How to control them
Control of all these pretty weeds consists of pulling when possible. Learn to recognize the young seedlings—especially those with deep tap roots that are difficult to remove. You can also cut off the flower heads of older plants before they go to seed. Bag and dispose of these flowers—do not compost!—to prevent seed development and dispersal. Use herbicides as a last resort.

Article written by Judy Deutsch, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Categories Weeds Tags dame's rocket, evening primrose, fleabane, oxeye daisy

NC Cooperative Extension; Empowering People, Providing Solutions

Blog posts written and published by Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers in Buncombe County.

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to our blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 3,693 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • Dramatic Winter Damage? What Should I Do?
  • 2023 School Garden Grants Available: Applications Due February 3
  • What’s THAT Evergreen? Can I grow it?
  • A Gardening Guide for Our Mountains: The Perfect Holiday Stocking Stuffer
  • Non-native Invasive Plants: Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo)

Categories

  • Events
    • Extension in Buncombe County
    • Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic
    • Lectures & Seminars
    • Plant Sales
    • School Garden Grants
  • Flowers
    • Bulbs
    • Perennials & Biennials
    • Roses
    • Wildflowers
  • Gardening for Children
  • Gardening Videos
  • General Gardening
    • Installation & Planting
    • Mulch
    • Native Plants
    • Propagation
    • Seasonal Chores
    • Soils & Fertilizers
  • Houseplants
  • Landscaping
    • Firewise Landscaping
    • Landscape Design
    • Site Conditions
    • Water Management
  • Lawns
  • Pest Management
    • Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
    • Invasive Plants
    • Pesticides
    • Weeds
  • Plant Diseases
  • Plant Insects
    • Beneficial Insects
    • Insect Pests
    • Invasive Insects
  • Shrubs
  • Special Gardens
    • Container Gardens
    • Herb Gardens
    • Pollinator Gardens
    • Rain Gardens
    • Shade Gardens
  • Trees
  • Vegetables & Fruits
  • Wildlife

Contact Us

Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

Events

Keep up with our events by subscribing to the blog or checking our Events Calendar.

Explore the Archives

Back to Top

Copyright © 2023 Extension Master Gardeners of Buncombe County. Privacy Policy.