Invasives - Real Garden Problem or Overhyped?
An invasive plant has the ability to thrive and spread aggressively outside its natural range. A naturally aggressive plant may be especially invasive when it is introduced to a new habitat. An invasive species that colonizes a new area may gain an ecological edge since the insects, diseases, and foraging animals that naturally keep its growth in check in its native range are not present in its new habitat.
Some invasive plants are worse than others. Many invasive plants continue to be admired by gardeners who may not be aware of their weedy nature. Others are recognized as weeds but property owners fail to do their part in preventing their spread. Some do not even become invasive until they are neglected for a long time. Invasive plants are not all equally invasive. Some only colonize small areas and do not do so aggressively. Others may spread and come to dominate large areas in just a few years.
Which invasives should we worry about?
What are a gardener's responsibilities when it comes to invasives?
Who decides what's an invasive and what's a unique garden plant?
Weigh in on these and related questions below...
Some invasive plants are worse than others. Many invasive plants continue to be admired by gardeners who may not be aware of their weedy nature. Others are recognized as weeds but property owners fail to do their part in preventing their spread. Some do not even become invasive until they are neglected for a long time. Invasive plants are not all equally invasive. Some only colonize small areas and do not do so aggressively. Others may spread and come to dominate large areas in just a few years.
Which invasives should we worry about?
What are a gardener's responsibilities when it comes to invasives?
Who decides what's an invasive and what's a unique garden plant?
Weigh in on these and related questions below...
Views: 3
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sandy Mitchell on -
I have a plant, Gooseneck Loosestrife, that is invasive but I love the funny white flower heads so I deal with it by pulling out the unwanted plants and I always deadhead so it doesn't seed. Since I keep it limited to one spot in my flower bed I don't feel it's doing any harm.
-
Permalink Reply by Shelly Marsh on -
Sandy,
Funny, Loosestrife was one that immediately came to mind. You are right though, if you stay on top of it, it really is a beautiful addition to the garden. Remember Lithrum? A tall, purple flowering plant, somewhat shrub like. I had some at our old house and loved it. Garden centers and nurseries don't carry it anymore due to its invasive nature. I sure did love it and once again it was one of those plants that if you stayed on top of was fine. I loved it!
-
Permalink Reply by Nonnie Browne on -
It seems that invasive only relates to an individual's garden, unless that invasive begins to over extend into a nearby neighbor's property - in an uninvited way! There are things I know can be very aggressive, that I use intentionally to fill up a space to avoid mulching or weeding. The only time I really felt like I was fighting a completely losing battle with a true invasive, is when I was living in Seattle and had wild blackberry all over my property. It had lived there a lot longer than my new house, and I mistakenly thought I could hack it back enough to have some nice beds - no way that was the case. I do have aggressive plants here - a patch of english ivy, some catmint, creeping jenny and rudbeckia that seems to triple every year and even defy gravity, but I know how to get rid of it and tame it back when I need to.......
-
Permalink Reply by Marilyn Faulhaber on
-
I love the purple flowers of catmint and they do well in my area. I haven't found it to be invasive. Most mints are -- they can take over a flower bed in record time but catmint, or Nepeta, hasn't been invasive for me. I'm always looking things up on the web to learn about plants and I ran across the following item about catmint on About.com.
Cultural Notes:
Nepeta is one of those plants that thrives on neglect. Too much fertilizer will only make it grow lots of flimsy foliage. A lean soil and somewhat dry growing conditions will encourage both flowers and scent.
Many of the newer varieties of nepeta are sterile, producing no viable seeds. This is a plus if you don’t like the weedy, self-seeding habit of older nepeta varieties, but it means you will need to either buy plants or make plants from divisions or cuttings.
Maintenance: Most Nepetas will rebloom if sheared back after their initial flowering. Some won’t provide much of a second show, but their foliage will be refreshed and tidied by the shearing. Division is not a requirement, but if you’d like more plants, Nepeta responds well to division in the spring.
Problems & Pests: Problems with Nepeta are very rare.
-
Permalink Reply by Sally M. Williams on
-
I love catmint (nepeta), but regular mint is awful! It should be against the law to plant it in a garden (just kidding). Twice I've bought a home where the previous owners had allowed mint to take over a bed, and it was just terrible to kill. I killed (Roundup) and ripped out the mint in in my current home's beds last summer. It took multiple applications of Roundup and then pulling up roots. And still, some of it is back this spring.
I also had a bad experience with chameleon plant. It looks lovely at first, but quickly takes over over beds in a similar fashion to mint. I'll never plant it again.
-
Permalink Reply by Pat Lunardon on
-
I have a real problem with Queen Annes Lace. I always thought it was pretty in the roadside ditches. My advice is never let it get started in your garden. It has a tap root 10 miles long. It's near imposible to pull and it seeds like crazy. This year a may have to use round up and sacrifice some other plants to get rid of it.
-
Permalink Reply by Nonnie Browne on
-
I intentionally planted lithrum and everyone who sees my summer garden loves it and asks what it is. I have it planted in an area bordered by two dry creek beds, so don't care if it spreads there and will tear out any unwanted self sowing if I find it - but so far so good (four years or so now). I have a lot of sedum that self sows all over my property.....sometimes in surprising , "hard to reach" places.
-
Permalink Reply by Toni L.Newcomer on
-
Wisteria, I built a big trellis over a swing next to a water garden for a wisteria. it reaches up and into my Pin oak 10 feet above it and sends out ground shoots all around it. If it bloomed I could put up with it but some years doesn't blooom at all and the most would be 6 or 7 blooms on it and it is huge.
-
Permalink Reply by Marilyn Faulhaber on
-
The most invasive plant I've encountered is the trumpet vine. I cannot believe they sell it to the public. In case you're wondering what it looks like, just take a look in the country at trees and telephone poles that are covered with a vine with (usually) red trumpet-shaped flowers. The description in catalogs and sale tags states that it will cover an unsightly shed or fence in a season--but what they don't tell you is that it will come up from underground roots for years and can completely take over your yard. I ignorantly planted one on a trellis that was around the ugly, white propane tank in our back yard--the hummingbirds loved it (also part of the sales pitch). Within about three to four years, the vine turned into a "tree" the size of my forearm and the roots were coming up in a flower bed 10 feet away. I sprayed and dug roots for several years without much luck. I've moved since then and I regret that I didn't tell the new owners about the beautiful trumpet vine.
-
Permalink Reply by Wendy on
-
I totally agree with this! I've got this plant in my back yard, growing through chain-link fences all over the place, and it is TERRIBLE to get rid of. My house was vacant for six years before I bought it, and the trumpet vine was like something out of a horror movie. I have lived in my house 11 years, and I'm still dealing with trying to eradicate it.
-
Permalink Reply by wm on
-
I lived in a house for 11yrs as well ,managed to tame it to several tenacious sprouts that I pull a couple times a year
-
Permalink Reply by Lois Ho on
-
Can trees be considered invasive? A friend has "sprouts" coming up in numerous gardens that are singular, up to 1 inch thick and up to 5 ft in a year. Some appear to be along a root line of a nearby tree. Aside from Aspen that sends shoots from roots and forms colonies, do we have trees in our area that behave like this? Or is this seeding from birds?
Our Free Newsletter
___________________
___________________
© 2012 Created by Savvygardener.com.
