With thousands of options at your garden-gloved fingertips, it’s sometimes easy to let invasive plants slip through.
Even if you purchase it in containers, she says the risk just isn’t worth it.
Luckily, there are nice alternatives if you love the look of vining plants.
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Such is the case for Chinese wisteria.
Butterfly Bush
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The name is somewhat deceiving.
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Theseappeal to pollinatorsand provide lots of color, all without the invasiveness.
“The berries on nandina are toxic to cats and some other grazing animals,” explains Dillon.
“Birds also eat the berries and disperse them in natural habitats where they can out-compete native fauna.”
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Instead, she suggests winterberry, which is native and also provides a pretty pop of red.
This causes trouble for native plants that insects and wildlife need, so it’s better to avoid them.
“The non-invasive version does not have this characteristic.”
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This is true for poison hemlock.
This is more about staying vigilant about what arrives in your garden.
“Its rapid growth shades out native plants and it is an aggressive self-seeder,” says Dillon.
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“A native alternative with a similar look isyarrow.
It comes in many beautiful colors and supports local beneficial insect species.”
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