OK I am Oviedo ' s latest gardener. Does anyone know what this shrub is? It is growing at the base of a medium live oak along my driveway.about 8' tall. No flowers at this time. Haven't been any since I first saw it in late january. Appears to be vigorous and healthy. I like it and hope it is not some nasty invasive. Thanks,
Martha
This message was edited Apr 2, 2015 11:22 AM
Looks like a camphor sapling, crush a leaf and if it smells like camphor, if so then yank it out. If not it is some kind of tree, maybe the same oak it is under. They pop up all over this time of year. The longer you let a tree grow the harder they are to yank out.
Not an offshoot of the live oak. I didn't notice any strong fragrance when I was out trimming it back. I am off to the fancy nursery this morning to ask them.
Martha
It does kind of look like an oak seedling.
Wonder if a squirrel planted an acorn that rooted?? I find them all over my yard.
Shauna
The live oak leaves are smaller and more elliptical in shape. Equally glossy. the unshrub is growing at the base of the live oak so the comparison is up close and personal. I have pulled some LO seedlings already and a couple of opportunistic palm shoots trying to grow next to the foundation. Still shoveling out several years worth of LO leaves. Fortunately our neighborhood has yard waste pick up every week.
Martha
The fine folks at Lukas Nursery in Oviedo helped me with my ID. They decided it was a scrub oak growing next to the live oak and that if I keep it I need to keep it clipped back. Thanks to the folks that helped me!
Martha
Lukas nursery is very helpful with things like that, and aren't you lucky to live so close. I visit weekly this time of year.
It looks like Nandina to me. Let it grow enough to see if the leaves turn bright red in the cool of the year.
I am leaving this particular one alone except for some judicious pruning. I cleared out all the fallen leaves at the base of both the live oak and this shrub and mulched it all. There was only some scraggly crabgrass growing there. I put up my Tomato God statue to dress it up. You can see the local fauna approve!
Martha
I have 2 large oaks in my front yard and I love them but boy do they put out shoots. I'm pulling or digging them up all the time. They do provide wonderful shade.
Your little lizard will multiply like crazy. Dogs love to chase them.
My dog is more interested in chasing the squirrels up the live oak in the back yard. It's got about a 15 ft circumference at the base and by the time he gets out the patio slider and barks all around the tree a couple of times the squirrels are about 50 ft up and probably laughing their tails off. He doesn't pay much attention to the lizards unless he scares one up on our walks.
Martha
Unfortunately power co. people stopped by today to tell me it's time for the trimming of the trees again away from power lines. I discovered I have tent caterpillar disease in the oak that shades the ponds. I've done some research and will try to find a spray or dust for it to get rid of them as letting them go will eventually kill the tree. Gal from power co. told me she wanted to cut some big limbs back to the truck. I told her that has never been necessary before and wasn't going to happen now. The tree would end up all out of balance and a good windstorm would blow it over into our pool and 1 pond. I told her to call me with date they planed to cut and I'll make sure I'm home. I've talked to the tree trimmers before and in all the years we have been here they have always been happy to just L shape the tree. I love that oak and will not see it butchered.
Tent Caterpillars, I just made up a name for those.....web worms. Darius always said they were very bad to have around. A little reading I've done merely indicates the tree as a host, much as the milkweed is a host to the monarchs. However, the article I read says that if they habitually defoliate a tree, it will kill it.
A mass of them hit my red bud tree a couple years ago. The tree had just shown up, must have been from a bird poop. Anyway, the web was quite high and I certainly didn't want those worms eating my tree. So...wasp spray. I saturated the web with the spray and they were done. Since then, that has been my solution.
Thanks Molly, I'll try anything to get rid of them but I don't want anything that will be wind born into the ponds. There is something that can be sprayed but I couldn't reach up real high anyhow. I'll have to see if I can get 1 of my grandsons (15 and 16) and see how high they can climb and spray. Thanks for the info.
Bonnie
In the south we call them bagworms. They leave the web at daylight and crawl back ater dark. Traditional kill was a torch at night while they were home, and cut the branch back and burn it as well. Link of them in Ky where they consume persimmon trees in an area half a mile long and quarter mile deep
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1405206/
The pix are creepy.
My granddad used to burn them with kerosene.
Martha
Checked out those pics. These are not that large at least not yet. They are clinging here and there on the limbs. No where near that large.
My first defense was I pressure washed all that I could reach. I have to be real careful as tree is right over both koi ponds so anything containing poison isn't an option.
Can't burn them cause I would likely catch tree on fire. Not good.
I'm keeping at eye on them and pull down everyone I can reach. Sure hope they don't get large like in those photos you posted Kitt.
Thanks all for your help.
Bonnie,
I think the ones we have are different than those others. And don't they grow everthing bigger in Texas? lol
Molly
That was Ky. North of Clarksville. Saw some just as bad in Tenn as well. I should have grabbed a few pix of the beginning infestations, chuckl. Texas is funny about bagworms- no tolerance of intruders in their food trees, chuckl
Hey Bonnie I found you an article that has 3 kinds of web worms and the way to get rid of them. I think what you have is the Fall web worms. I have been noticing them on some trees when out walking in the morning.
Looks like you need to use something to rip the web bag open and let the birds take care of them.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/web-worms-bag-worms-and-easter-61087
Sherri, Read the whole article. Very interesting. I have seen a long time ago one of those bag worms and I thought it was just a pile of small sticks stuck tog. Now I know.
My oak has not been getting anymore web formations on it since I pressure washed everywhere I could reach. I am so relieved. Can't use any poisons cause you know where it is right in between the 2 ponds. Don't want it to drift and kill the fish.
Thanks so much for all that info. I will keep an eye on the oak as I really don't want to loose it.
