Oct

Avoiding Invasive Garden Plants

Invasive plants threaten native vegetation in all corners of Georgia. They overtake native vegetation and change ecosystems that support local wildlife.

To prevent invasive plants from taking over your property, landscape design services choose native plants for your garden, buy seeds and plants from trusted local nurseries, and remove invasives as soon as they appear.

What Are Invasive Plants?

Invasive plants refer to plants that come from somewhere outside the place they’re growing. They often have no predators in their new environment, allowing them to spread rapidly and suffocate native plants.

Georgia's climate is well suited for plant growth, and invasives take full advantage of these conditions. While they can look attractive and harmless, invasive plants can do extensive (and sometimes irreversible) damage to the environment if they aren’t stopped.

Nipping Invasives in the Bud

Check your garden regularly for unwelcome plants. Pull or cut invasives before they go to seed. Bag or burn pulled plants so they don’t spread in landfills.

The University of Georgia maintains a website with a list of invasive plants, including photographs and information describing each plant’s destructive behavior.

It benefits everyone to learn to recognize invasives and take steps to stop them from spreading.

Go Native

Whenever possible, choose plants for your yard that are indigenous to Georgia. Garden plants recommended by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources include:

Blazing star: A colorful perennial that blooms from summer into fall, the nectar of blazing star is a favorite of the monarch butterfly and hummingbirds.
Butterfly weed: A member of the milkweed family, butterfly weed is a host plant for monarch butterflies and provides nectar for other native pollinators.
Purple coneflower: Purple coneflowers are perennials that produce showy flowers from summer into the fall that attract pollinators like butterflies, bumblebees, and hummingbirds.
Oakleaf hydrangea: This shrub grows six to eight feet tall, with clusters of small white blossoms.

Other suggestions include sunflowers, native honeysuckle, tickseed, mountain laurel, amsonia, and dogwood.

Buy from Reputable Nurseries

Georgia is one of the few states in the country without a noxious weed law preventing the sale of invasive plants. To ensure you don’t inadvertently plant something that will spread unchecked, learn how to sequence a landscaping project and buy from a trusted nursery that believes in protecting local flora and fauna.

Inspect any new compost, mulch, and potted plants for unwanted weeds and seeds that might invade your landscape.

What Plants Are Causing Trouble in Georgia?

The Georgia Invasive Species Advisory Committee identified more than eighty nonnative plant species causing problems around the state.

Here are a few of the many common invasives found in Georgia gardens:

Invasive Name	How It Got Here	Why It’s Invasive
Autumn Olive (‘Japanese Silverberry’)	Introduced from Asia in the 1830s as an ornamental	Difficult to control, grows back vigorously after mowing or cutting, disrupts soil conditions and plant communities
English Ivy	Introduced from Europe in the 1700s and 1800s as an ornamental	Kills trees by covering bark, reducing sunlight, and increasing disease vulnerability
Japanese Honeysuckle	Introduced from Asia in the early 1800s	Grows rapidly, strangles other plants
Monkey Grass	Introduced from Asia as ornamental ground cover	Spreads with a thick mat of roots that chokes other plants and is very hard to remove
Certain types of Elephant Ears	Originally introduced as an alternative crop to potatoes; later grown as an ornamental.	Spreads quickly, massive leaves block sunlight and prevent native plants from growing
Bamboo	Introduced in the 1880s as an ornamental	Grows fast in sun or shade with an underground root system, thick foliage crowds out other plants, toxins in berries can kill birds

A Landscaper With a Keen Eye for Plants

The horticulturally-trained staff at Michaelangelo's Sustainable Landscape and Design Group can transform your home into the envy of the neighborhood without using a single invasive plant species.

As one customer from Alpharetta explained, “this project encompassed full planning, installation, and careful plant selection, emphasizing long-term health and usability. A seamless process from estimate to completion resulted in a stunning outdoor space that revitalizes the home.”

We’re convinced that if you read more of Michaelangelo’s five-star reviews, you’ll never ask if hiring a landscaper is worth it again. Book your consultation today to see what our experts can do for you.

Sources:

https://gainvasives.org/plants/
https://georgiawildlife.com/invasive-species