Look before you plant

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Recently, someone asked us if there were laws that would keep your neighbor from cutting down trees, and some cities and towns do have rules about removing them. But here’s a twist -- our eastern cottonwood is illegal to plant in some places. Cottonwoods are male or female, both flower before the leaves emerge and are an important source of nectar and pollen for insects. The seeds from female plants have a cottony covering and they produce a gazillion seeds – they can cover a lawn and supposedly clog up your A/C unit. I’ve only seen the seeds once in my life on a botany walk with John Nelson; it was in a wooded area and I remember it being super cool. Apparently, there are male cultivars in case you want a cottonwood tree but not the cotton.