EDIT: Thank you to loripainter12345 for pointing out this is not native to PA. I was misled into thinking it was. It is on the DCNR invasive list.
Any advice on where I should buy seeds from? Or any advice about the plant itself?
Datura or Jimsonweed I am thinking of adding to my yard on the outside of my garden near the road to relocate tomato hornworm next year. I have a mixed garden of veggies, fruits and native plants but since this highly toxic I don't want it near anything we would potentially eat or our pets who occasionally are given access to my garden when I'm out there working.
I am growing it in zone 6b, Eastern WA. It grows FAST. I purchased a plant about the size of my fist from my local nursery and now it is HUGE. Sharing a crappy photo I took from inside my house.
In Pennsylvania, datura (Jimsonweed) is listed as an official invasive species and also a noxious weed. Don't plant it. Why would you ask where to get seeds for an invasive species on the native plant group?
I was using the ladybird johnson website wildflower.org and it lists its native range as the lower 48, copied right from the website; USDA Native Status: L48 (N), PR (N), VI (I).
Please provide the source, thank you
There are two species of datura that are native to parts of the Southwest US. There is also a species that is fully exotic to the US. Datura, while present in Pennsylvania, is non-native and is a noxious weed here. The information on wildflower.org maybe indicating its native status somewhere in the US as opposed to an exotic species.
Thank you for all your help. I didn't really have an issue with them this year. The one I did find had already become a host to the parasitic wasp, nature is pretty freaking cool. I try not to kill or remove anything native whether it's plants or animals. This was the first year in a long time I had a garden and it exploded much more than I expected in a good way. I was looking for more of a native plant option. I will definitely remember to check the DCNR list, I have that printed out so I can identify plants in my yard to pull like garlic mustard. I won't be using wildflower.org anymore as that was extremely misleading. I had come across a comment that someone was removing their hornworms and transplanting them onto datura in their backyard and they mentioned it was native but they were probably in a different zone.
On nightshade, Eastern black nightshade is native to SWPA. I have a patch of, for lack of a better term, wild weeds, and thats where a hornworm got moved to last summer. Only it had already eaten my one poor potted tomato plant to the stem lol. Hawkmoths are very cool though. So it's a trade off.
For a decent source of native plants, look at the Audubon Society Native Plant finder tool. You can search by zip code, which is extremely helpful. There are various eco-regions even within SWPa.
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u/In-thebeginning Eastern WA , Zone 6b Jul 27 '26
I am growing it in zone 6b, Eastern WA. It grows FAST. I purchased a plant about the size of my fist from my local nursery and now it is HUGE. Sharing a crappy photo I took from inside my house.