EDINA, Minn. — We're really getting into Buckthorn season here. When all the other trees lose their leaves, the invasive buckthorn will still be green so it's easy to spot and remove.
Here along Nine Mile Creek in Edina, there's a great three-year project to remove buckthorn and other invasives from taking over the park as it does in so many of our properties.
When you do the hard work to remove buckthorn you'll want to replace it with native plants that will help keep the nasty buckthorn at bay. The idea is that the new plants will out-compete any new buckthorn that sprouts from seeds that are still in the soil.
From our friends at Minnesota Native Landscapes, here are the varieties to plant:
- Long-beaked Sedge
- Canada Wild Rye
- Bottlebrush Grass
- Silky Wild Rye
- Virginia Wild Rye
- Large-leaved Aster
- Self-heal
- Brown-Eyed Susan
- Zig Zag Goldenrod
- Calico Aster
The Minnesota State Horticulture Society recommends these shrubs and trees to replace buckthorn:
- Dogwood
- Viburnum
- Snowberry
- Serviceberry
- Mountain ash
- Redbud
- Mulberry
- Sumac
- Leatherwood
- Hazelnut