Over 50 of the worst plants to have in your Garden
An invasive plant can be a gardeners best friend or worst enemy. In my down time (winter) I always start thinking about what new or existing plants I want to add to my garden next season. I create lists, add pins to pinterest, take screenshots on my phone. After having a few fails of hard to control perennials and weeds enter in my garden I always try and do a bit of research before I go crazy and just order everything I love from catalogs or buy seed packets. Because what works for one gardener can burden another or worse, take over their garden.
Invasive can be defined as something that spreads and can be hard to control. It also however unfortunate, that it does not just pertain to weeds. There are several perennial plants that I am going to be sharing below that can fall into this category.
Identifying an invasive or non native plant
To identify an invasive or non native plant you can check the U.S. Department of Agriculture's articles and use their great search feature if you're looking for information on something specific. You can boil it down to 2 categories, of which are Terrestrial (Land Loving) and Aquatic. I am going to talk about Terrestrial.
There are uses for invasive or spreading plants if properly controlled. Such as; soil erosion on a steep hill or incline. Planted in a field to keep mowing down to a monthly chore not a weekly one. As a ground cover that can deter weeds and provide a nice carpet for walking on barefoot. Personally I use Ajuga as a ground cover in a small bed that has controlled borders on all 4 sides. The controlled borders are a sidewalk, a driveway and my house. Thus deterring it from spreading into areas where I don't want it or my neighbors yard. If you'd like to see the bed first planted you can read: Problem Areas in the Garden. Also it is worth mentioning that depending on where you live can determine how invasive or spreading some of these plants are. There can be local factors to consider, plus this list does not contain ALL invasive species. That list would be close to impossible to keep updated.
Below is a list sorted alphabetically that shows over 50 plants that can spread nearly anywhere. You most likely have seen a lot of these species in the woods, on the side of the roads or in ditches. Each plant listed below is a clickable link that gives a full and better description.
- Air Potato
- Autumn Olive
- Beach Vitex
- Brazilian Peppertree
- British Yellowhead
- Canada Thistle
- Chinese Privet
- Chinese Tallow
- Cogongrass
- Common Buchthorn
- Common Teasel
- Dalmation Toadflax
- Diffuse Knapweed
- Downy Brome
- Fig Buttercup
- Garlic Mustard
- Giant Hogweed (which is also dangerous!)
- Golden Bamboo
- Hairy Whitetop
- Houndstongue
- Japanese Barberry
- Japanese Climbing Fern
- Japanese Honeysuckle
- Japanese Knotwood
- Japanese Spirea
- Japanese Stiltgrass
- Johnson Grass
- Kudzu
- Leafy Spurge
- Medusa Head
- Mile-a-minute weed
- Multi-Flora Rose
- Musk Thistle
- Old World Climbing Fern
- Oriental Bittersweet
- Princess Tree
- Purple Star Thistle
- Quackgrass
- Russian Knapweed
- Russian Olive
- Sacred Bamboo
- Saltcedar
- Scotch Broom
- Scotch Thistle
- Spotted Knapweed
- St. Johnswort
- Tree of Heaven
- Tropical Soda Apple
- Whitetop
- Witchweed
- Yellow Star Thistle
- Yellow Toadflax
It is worth mentioning twice about the Giant Hogweed listed above. It has been spotted in quite a few states like Michigan, Illinois, and now in the northern parts of Indiana. This plant can be extremely dangerous and can cause blindness and burn your skin. So if you see this weed growing anywhere, please contact your local Department of Resources! You can simply google "dept of resources near me" and you should have your choice of websites with numbers to call.
As gardeners we all know how fast and how easily weeds can ride along tires, clothes and travel with wildlife. So please be on the lookout and use extreme caution if you believe you have this growing near you.
Image Sources:
https://www.nd.gov/ndda/plant-industries/noxious-weeds/canada-thistle
https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/canada-thistle
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/profile/giant-hogweed