Jill Severn’s Gardening Column

Weeds to watch out for in Thurston County

The scourge of spurge laurel

Posted

Marijuana is not the only weed it’s illegal* to grow in Washington.

You can also be busted for growing “noxious weeds,” which is farmer-speak for harmful invasive species.

About ten years ago, an irascible anti-government neighbor of mine had a knock on his door and was informed by an agent of the Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Board that he was legally required to pull up his beautiful fennel. That put him in a boiling rage for weeks. He was outraged that the “gov’mint” could tell him what he could grow in his own damn yard.

Still, he eventually pulled it up, which is a testament to the tact and persistence of the Weed Board employee who knocked on his door.

And yes, when a plant species is harmful to native landscapes and/or toxic to people and animals, the government can require homeowners and landowners to remove it. There’s a list of the bad guy plants here. And only the most threatening plants trigger required removal.

What’s wrong with fennel?

My neighbor was growing a particular variety of fennel – not the kind with a bulb that vegetable gardeners are likely to grow – that can colonize disturbed areas and grasslands and outcompete native plants that native critters rely on. It’s becoming a problem along roads and shorelines in Western Washington. The local Weed Board was – and still is – trying to keep it from getting out of control in our county. And interestingly, my neighbor hadn’t planted it; it just came up in his yard and he let it grow because he liked it.

Three full-time Weed Board employees, led by Mike Murphy, spend their days defending our county from invasion by plant species like this that can harm native habitats and landscapes, especially a few that are dangerously toxic to humans.

Burning flutes

One such plant is poison hemlock, sometimes confused with Queen Anne’s Lace. It grows taller and is distinguished by purple blotches on its hollow stems. Its leaves are sometimes mistaken for parsley when young, its roots resemble parsnips, and the seeds might be mistaken for anise. All are toxic, and the seeds are the most toxic. And it, like an even bigger invasive plant with hollow stems, giant hogweed, has stems that can be fashioned into flutes. This has resulted in severe burns to the lips and face. Ow!

Spurge laurel

Spurge laurel is another plant that is also beautiful, invasive, and toxic. It’s not clear how it got its name since it is neither spurge nor laurel, but a variety of Daphne – that supremely fragrant little shrub that blooms in early spring. Fortunately, it does not have hollow stems that invite flautists, but it does have highly toxic berries and caustic sap, and people are advised to put long-sleeved shirts and gloves on before touching it.

It’s a native of Europe and North Africa and an escapee from gardens. It’s a lovely, smallish, shiny-leaved evergreen shrub, and it’s easy to see why someone would want it in their yard. It blooms in January – a month when gardeners are hungry for flowers – and produces its little blackberries in the spring.

It is new enough on the scene that there is hope it can be completely eradicated in Thurston County. But that will take more than the three employees of the Weed Board; it will take public vigilance and reporting. When all the leaves have fallen this winter, it’s easy to spot. At first glance, it might be mistaken for a small rhododendron, but the shininess of its leaves gives it away. If you see it anywhere – along a trail, in the woods, among Garry oaks, or in someone’s yard – a call to the county Weed Board is in order. They will be happy to come to pull it out.

Weeds that are invasive and harmful will always be with us, so it’s a good thing we have weed laws and boards to combat them – and it would be an even better thing if more gardeners learned to be their active, well-informed allies.

* The state legislature introduced a bill to legalize home-grown recreational cannabis last year but didn’t pass it.

Jill Severn writes from her home in Olympia, where she grows vegetables, flowers, and a small flock of chickens. She loves conversation among gardeners. Start one by emailing her at  jill@theJOLTnews.com

Comments

3 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • Coug66

    Spurge laurel thrives in Olympia's Watershed park.

    Friday, November 18, 2022 Report this

  • PegGerdes

    Very useful, thank you. I am working to become more attuned at spotting the toxic ones.

    Saturday, November 19, 2022 Report this

  • Drutty

    I remember, years ago a man from the county weed board arrived at my farm to say that I would be fined if I did not pull out the Tansy (about a dozen plants) in my field. . I was really incensed as there were thousands of them in the Hwy 101 median. I asked them who should be fine for those violations?

    Sunday, November 20, 2022 Report this