I need to find a way to force a shrub to drop its flowers without killing the plant.
Allergies are killing me and the flowers are nothing but a mess. I'd cut the thing down if it wasn't a needed border between me and the whining woman next door. Its a row 12+ feet tall and 40+ long.

There has to be a spray.

"Nappy-headed" HO-ticulturists?

Sounds kind of like a privet hedge. I had a house in Arkansas and the whole backyard was fenced in with privet hedge. I don't remember any flowers, though.

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I'm guessing a Botanist might have something to say on this topic. He might even be an expert in deflowering.

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Usually showy flowers are not the cause of allergies. Why?

Because flowers are showy to attract pollinators. So?

Pollinators get pollen stuck to their bodies -- the animal-pollinated plants have sticky pollen that does not blow in the wind. If it doesn't blow in the wind, it ain't going up your nose.

Usually when we see a showy flower and sneeze we correlate the two. But what we do not see are the unlovely wind-pollinated species that are actually sending their reproductive tissue up your nose like Monica humming in the presidential suite.

So I'm betting you live where there are oaks, hickories, birches, or willows in flower. Or you live near an unmown meadow. It is very unlikely that the flowers you see are what is causing you discomfort.

Bot

Could be the fragrance causing the histamine reaction though. I can't be in a room with daylillies during easter and there is a lilac farm behind my place in VA that drives me nuts.

Its definately some sort of flowering privet hedge. I'll try to get a pic of it.

Wind blows, the sweet fragrance nearly blinds me. I've hosed it down with water which helped a bit.

Got to go to the ranch and get away from this crap. I'd rather smell bovine flatulance than this. Back later...

Like cheap perfume.

Makes sense. It ain't the pollen it's the esters.

So ... how to get esters out of the air ... convert to aldehydes and precipitate.

Spray the offensive bushes with DILUTED chlorox.

How's that sound?

B

I'll give that a try. Wonder how long it will last???

Well, that would be the downside and even worse, I'm guessing. But I'd love to hear the results. BTW, my backdoor neighbor has a privet hedge and I know what you mean about the annoying aroma. I had never thought about knocking the esters down. I'd start with like 1 part chlorox to 100 parts water or so. Make it real weak so you wont kill the plant. Spray it on the flowers and more or less try to avoid the foliage. It should provide immediate relief if I guessed right.

The other method which I wouldn't recommend would be using a plant hormone called abscissic acid. What it does is stimulates formation of a callose layer at leaf and flower nodes. That forces defoliation of leaves and defloration of flowers. It is used by industrial farmers to defoliate crops prior to harvest, eliminating foliage after the seeds have already matured so they don't drop off. Using abscissic acid on an evergreen during the spring sounds like a great way to kill an evergreen. That's why I didn't suggest it.

Really what you probably need is to ask a horticulturist. USDA/NRCS has people in every state who are experts in horticulture. Try your extension service. Should be in the blue pages of the phone book under NRCS (or Natural Resources Conservation Service). Those guys know a lot more about how to deal with house and yard plants.

Bottom line is that I'll bet the best solution is to get rid of the privet.

Bot

Rain today provided some relief.

Well, as Dorothy Parker sagely observed,You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think..........................

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