I’d be willing to bet that you have one or even many invasive plants on your property. Norway maple: invasive. Lily-of-the-valley: invasive. Orange daylily, burning bush, baby’s breath, European mountain ash, forget-me-not, white mulberry, bishop’s weed, red-twig dogwood, periwinkle, violets, boxelder, honeylocust, bush honeysuckle, creeping bellflower, shasta daisy, amur maple, common privet, Japanese barberry, yellow water-flag iris, staghorn sumac: all invasive.
June is invasive species awareness month in Wisconsin. I hope that everyone has at least heard of the big three – buckthorn, purple loosestrife and garlic mustard – that are degrading our natural areas by crowding out native plants. Some more recent invaders are dame’s rocket, a plant that resembles garden phlox except that it has 4 petals instead of 5, blooming along roadsides now in purple, pink and white; and teasel and reed canary grass.
A drive along Hwy. 41 is like touring a living museum of invasive plants. The ditches are lined with cattails, teasel, Canada goldenrod, purple loosestrife, dame’s rocket, reed canary grass, garlic mustard, tansy, Canada thistle and phragmites, an 8-foot tall grass topped with big fuzzy plumes in fall.
But let’s get back to your yard. You know that Norway maple is invasive – how many hours have you spent pulling maple seedlings that have sprung up from those pesky “helicopters” in your flowerbeds, sidewalk and driveway cracks? If you’ve got lily-of-the-valley or violets, the joke is on you if you thought they’d stay where you put them. What about bishop’s weed, also called snow-on-the-mountain? Many people, and their neighbors, are sorry they ever planted it.
If you live in the city or in a well-manicured subdivision, it may not be obvious to you why some plants considered invasive made the list. But if you live within a mile of the edge of town, or a park, empty lot or natural area, you need to be aware and careful of what you plant.
My neighbors planted a large area with dame’s rocket several years ago. Now the ditches and field edges for miles in every direction are blooming with purple and pink. Another neighbor had two teasel plants on his property four years ago. He ignored my polite request that he cut them before they went to seed. Now teasel populates the open fields for two miles in every direction from his property.
I am not suggesting that you immediately rip every potentially invasive plant from your landscape. Unless you have buckthorn, that is, then get rid of it! Just educate yourself as to which plants are or have the potential to become invasive, keep them under control and replace them when possible.
Before you plant anything new, consult a list of invasive plants to see if your selection is on the list. You will be amazed at how long these lists are! A great reference book is Invasive Plants of the Upper Midwest by Elizabeth Czarapta. These two websites have comprehensive lists and good photos: www.ipaw.org and www.dnr.state.wi.us/invasives.
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