Gardening: Growing Invasive Plants in the Garden

Honeysuckle

There are many plants that grow and have beautiful flowers or berries, but not all of them are something you want growing in your garden. In my gardening business, I spend lots of time pulling weeds and over the years you learn to identify many of the weeds that you remove from gardens. Many of the weeds that I remove are "invasive plants". Invasive plants are plants that grow quickly and aggressively displacing other more valuable plants. Most invasive plants are not native to North America. Nearly 25% of plants that we grow in our gardens and landscapes are non-natives. Most non-native plants are enjoyed in our gardens and landscapes and present no problems, like hostas. But some non-natives can destroy our gardens, landscapes and forest. Many invasive plants eliminate the plants that wildlife needs for food and shelter. Invasive plants destroy habitat for wildlife and rare or endangered plants. Invasive plants costs billions of dollars to control and eliminate from our forest and agricultural areas.

Garlic Mustard

I had a chance to see how quickly invasive plants can take over. Several years ago, a plant called 'Crown Vetch' was planted along the interstate highway. The plant was being used for erosion control. It was pretty with lacy leaves and pink clover like flowers, but it spread up the hill along the highway where it was planted and quickly spread across a parking lot around several office buildings into flower beds and the woods surrounding the buildings. Now it is everywhere and continues to grow and spread beyond, even crossing a busy street to the woods on the other side.

I also see many people growing Bush and Japanese Honeysuckles as landscape plants, even keeping them pruned and shaped in their landscapes.

In my area, we have many invasive plants. Here are just a few:

Bush and Japanese honeysuckles
Garlic Mustard
Purple Loosestrife
Oriental Bittersweet
Autumn Olive
Crown Vetch
Reed Canary Grass
Kudzo
White Mulberry
Purple Winter Creeper

What can you do? Learn about what plants are invasive in the area that you live. Then take a walk in your yard to see if they are growing there. Remove and destroy these plants and substitute a non-aggressive plant for your landscape. While you check out your own yard, check out your neighbor's yard. These plants can seed or spread back into your yard if left to grow. You might want to volunteer in local parks or forest areas to help in the removal of invasive plants. When you purchase plants for your garden, make sure that it is not invasive in your area. If the plant catalog says a plant is aggressive in it's growth, check it out before you purchase it. Many nurseries do sell these plants.

Do you have invasive plants in your state or country? Share those plant names with others in the comment section. List your state or country and the name of the plants.

Happy Gardening!

The Creative Gardener