ERADICATE!

Notes on invasive species' of plants:

DON'T PLANT THEM.

If you go to your garden centre, and the helpful staff member says that the plant you're looking for for your garden is invasive, ask for an alternative. Plant that instead.

O sure, they LOOK all sweet and innocent in their pots. They may even have a wee pretty flower that is just begging you to admire it from your back deck.

Don't do it.

Be strong.

Think of me.

When we moved into our new place in the fall, I identified three plants right away that were going to be trouble: ivy, grape vine and virginia creeper. Not wanting to use herbicides, I decided the best way to deal with the little suckers was smothering them under landscape fabric and lots and lots of mulch. And, actually, it's manageable. The little suckers are buried, and anything brave enough to stick a nose out gets chopped off post haste.

There was a fourth plant, however, which was particularly sneaky. It had gone dormant by the time we arrived here, so all I saw was large trunks running along the fence line. Okay. Trunks. I can deal with that. I have a chainsaw.

Then spring came.

The stuff was EVERYWHERE!

GREAT movie. Just sayin'

This stuff is insane. It popped up all over the yard. Small dogs and children ran for their lives, and no matter how much I hacked, dug, pulled, buried, it KEEPS COMING UP. You want to know what it is? WISTERIA.

If it looked like this, well, sure.

A tempting beauty, hmmmm? But also on the invasive species list and, guess what? It responds WELL TO PRUNING. Guess what else? I have 50x100 feet of it. Plus.

Something like this. Meander Mountain

Have a heart, Gardeners. Take those invasive species lists seriously. Don't plant them!

Ontario Invasive Species Index
Invasive Species Centre