Controlling a frisky Virginia sweetspire  Email the author |
Follow on Twitter on July 01, 2013 at 8:37 AM, updated July 01,
2013 at 8:42 AM sweetspire.suckering.JPGView full size"Runners"
colonizing from a mother Virginia sweetspire.    Q: I planted
some Virginia sweetspire a couple of years ago. It's pretty, but
it has taken over several of my flower beds. No amount of
spraying/killing gets rid of it. It just keeps coming. What
should I do?     A: Virginia sweetspire is a suckering native
shrub, which means it spreads by sending out underground runners
that then sprout to form a colony.     It's easy to control by
severing the runners you don't want once or twice a year (or
more often if you really want to keep a tight lid on it).    
The runners are shallow, and when young, they can be cut with a
shovel or ax. They pull up easily and can be composted, tossed
or replanted to start a new colony.     This kind of regular
"policing" with a shovel is a lot more effective than spraying
herbicides.     The key is