Pretty Perennial Lawn Weeds: orange hawkweed

» Jojo - orange hawkweed

MESSAGE BY E-MAIL FROM A READER...

After reading your article on Pretty Perennial Lawn Weeds (http://www.growinglifestyle.com/article/... I felt compelled to write to you. Please reconsider recommending that people replace dandelion in their lawns with Hieracium aurantiacum or Orange hawkweed. Although orange hawkweed is a pretty perennial it is terrible invasive and in Idaho and it is listed on noxious weed lists in Idaho, Minnesota, and Washington. If people in Idaho have orange hawkweed growing in their lawns, they are required by law (Idaho Code 22-24) to eradicate it. Planting or moving noxious weeds in Idaho is against the law. We would recommend that you check all of the noxious weed lists in the U.S. and the Federally listed noxious weed lists before recommending plant species as ornamentals (especially agressively invasive nonnative weeds). Some websites that you may find interesting include ours http://www.agri.state.id.us/animal/weedi... ;
the invaders database at
http://invader.dbs.umt.edu/ ;

PLANTS database at http://plants.usda.gov/ ;

and the Center for Invasive Plant Management http://weedcenter.org/.

We are working very hard to protect our lands from invasion by nonnative invasive species such
as orange hawkweed and would appreciate your help.

Sincerely,
Brenda Waters
Noxious Weed Program CoordinatorIdaho State Department of Agriculture

Note: The article has been changed to include your information and point to this message

-- posted by Jojo