THANK YOU

Native or not doesn't make a huge difference in whether it's considered (legally) noxious.

The Ontario list (which is just what I happen to know offhand) lists several things which are fully native to the whole province, such as milkweed and poison ivy.

Listed weeds are usually ones that have historically been a problem in that state/province, either in terms of reducing crop yeild, contaminating the harvested crop, or poisoning animals, and the lists are biased towards things that spread real fast and/or are quite hard to eradicate once they get started.

(e.t.a. - yes, it's generally [probably always?] under State/Province Department/Ministry of Agriculture authority)

Pat
 
Pat, Honestly I had no idea where it might have been from, but since it is called Canadian thistle I just thought I'd have some fun with it. We get some of that same violent Ohio Valley weather here also, so I'll join you in the complaint department. :)
Drake, I think the flower is beautiful and when it's growing out in the pasture I let it alone although the goats seem to enjoy it. I've had to declare war in the garden though. As much as I hate to do it, I have resorted to using Roundup in the garden. I'm getting ready to to the majority of my planting in the next couple weeks so it has got to go.
 
I'm sorry the thistles are giving you so much grief, Unclejoe. I haven't had too much of an invasion problem with mine yet. But I have been very careful to pull them from my veggie garden when they are just getting going. . . though my garden is still fairly small. Good luck getting your garden in!
 
If it gives you anything to look forward to, I can report that my E side yard, which was mostly canada thistle and not to dern much else at all when we moved here 6 yrs ago, has been almost entirely thistle-free for a year or two now. As in, there are probably a half dozen stragglers still hanging on in a 30x60ish space. We did it the hard way, by weedwhacking and then mowing weekly as if it were lawn, and once or twice a month going out there with a bread knife and cutting out as many thistle rosettes as we could stand (whole area didn't get done every time, otherwise the cure would've prolly been quicker). I think last year we only 'thistled' maybe 2-3x, and as I say, it is just about fixed now, good grass same as rest of lawn.

(Now if I could do something about the sow thistles...)

So, hang in there :)

Pat
 
Yep, persistence wins every time.

I'm fighting scotch broom here and I've gotten rid of all the big ones . . . it is just those little obnoxious new ones scattered everywhere that are going to drive me nuts!!!
 
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