In the Garden
As you drive or walk around the area during these beautiful autumn days, you will notice bright colors throughout the forests and beside the highways. I’m not talking about the foliage on the maples, birches, oaks, etc. I am talking about all the invasive plants taking over our lands. These invasives are pushing out our native witch hazels, blueberries, huckleberries, etc.
The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group has announced Connecticut’s official list of invasive plants. I will mention some of the worst invasives now so that if you have them in your yard, you will take steps to eradicate them before they spread any further. Non-native species are those that are alien to the ecosystem. They can cause harm to the environment and in some cases, to human health.
Japanese Barberry, which can have red or green foliage depending upon the species available, is a top contender. It has escaped our gardens and is becoming common throughout our land. Not only is it invasive, it is a tick magnet. If you have it in your yard, you likely have a tick problem.
Here is a quote from CleanNorth (a North American Indigenous Peoples Organization): “Japanese Barberry is a popular low-maintenance shrub that comes with a steep hidden cost. It is an invasive species that not only can disrupt ecosystems, but also cause Lyme disease. If you have any Barberry on your property, dispose of it in the trash and replace it with a native shrub. Reducing Barberry reduces backlegged ticks and Lyme disease risk.”
Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) can easily take over a landscape. Folks love it because of its brilliant red foliage in fall. But remove it and replace it with Blueberry. This is a native plant which also produces gorgeous red foliage and whose fruit you and the birds will love.
One of the worst invasives you will see beside roadways, in ditches, along fence lines, and in wetlands in Connecticut is Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum). This plant has been noted to damage households by growing through concrete cracks! It is so incredibly invasive that we must do all we can to get rid of it.
Other invasives on the Connecticut Invasive Plant List are Norway Maple, European Buckthorn, Reed Canary Grass, and European Privet. These and some others will be prohibited from sale by Connecticut nurseries soon.
Here are some shrubs that you can grow instead of these horrendous plants: Buttonbush, Blueberry, Chokeberry, Nannyberry, Ninebark, Red Osier Dogwood, Sandcherry, and Snowberry.
Please do yourself and our environment a favor and remove the invasives from your property. Their aggressive growth habit can out-compete and displace our native species.