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The most successful invasion of the United States may have been
perpetrated by a plant. Kudzu, "the vine that ate the South," was
first brought to the states from eastern Asia as an ornamental in
1876 for a centennial exhibit, then widely planted for forage and
erosion control. Declared a weed by the US Department of Agriculture
in 1972, it continues to spread, covering more than seven million
acres in the southeastern United States today.
Kudzu is just one in an unfortunately long list of invasive plants that includes English ivy, garlic mustard, hydrilla, leafy spurge, purple loosestrife, and saltcedar. A nonnative plant species is considered invasive when it aggressively spreads in its adopted environment. At their worst, invasive plants crowd out native species and disrupt ecosystems. The net result is an alteration in habitat and often a loss in biodiversity. There can also be serious economic consequences from damage to rangeland, farmland, forests, waterways, and other valuable resources. 
Because some nurseries and seed companies continue to sell invasive species, the burden falls on you, the consumer, to find out which plants are safe. Here's what to do: · Before buying seeds or plants, check to be sure they're not considered invasive in your state (see the links below). Even plants native to the United States can prove invasive when transplanted to another region of the country. · Consider growing plants native to your area. This has added benefits: Native plants require less water, fertilizer, and pest control, and provide wildlife with food and shelter. Depending on what you plant, you may soon find a variety of birds or butterflies flocking to your yard. · If there is a particular nonnative plant you're interested in growing, be wary if it: a) produces very large amounts of wind-borne seeds; b) provides berries for wildlife, which might spread the plant to other areas; c) is unusually pest- and weather-resistant; d) tends to shade out neighboring plants or out-compete them for food and water; e) spreads quickly by runners, underground roots, or plant fragments.
· Take particular care when buying or planting mixtures of seeds, especially ones labeled "wildflowers"-even those distributed by nonprofit groups as thank-you gifts. Some mixes contain seeds of invasive plants and many are too poorly labeled to tell. · Be particularly careful if nearby wild areas, parks, open spaces, streams, or bodies of water could be invaded by things you plant in your garden or fish pond. · If you already have invasives growing on your property, remove them or try to prevent them from spreading (e.g., by pinching off dying flowers before they have a chance to go to seed or containing the roots in a partially buried pot or other underground "collar"). Never dispose of unwanted plants or clippings in a nearby park or natural area, as new plants can spring from the scraps. In the same vein, never dump aquarium plants into rivers or other waters. Keeping invasives out of your garden won't force you to make sacrifices. You can choose from an abundance of native plants and safe nonnatives and, with some careful thought and planning, grow a beautiful garden no matter where you live. For related information, see these pages: INVASIVE PLANT LISTS BY STATE http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi?earl=noxious.cgi INVASIVE PLANTS http://www.nationalarboretum.usda.gov/Gardens/invasives.html WEEDS GONE WILD http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/ INVASIVES ON THE WEB http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu WHAT EVERY GARDENER NEEDS TO KNOW http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/sustainable/2000sp_invasive.html WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT SPECIES INVASION http://www.ucsusa.org/whatyoucando.html NATIVE PLANT SOCIETIES http://www.newfs.org/nps.htm THE AMAZING STORY OF KUDZU http://www.cptr.ua.edu/kudzu/ GREENTIPS -- Is Your Garden a Danger to the Environment? (March 2003)
Florida's Invaders: Exotic Pests
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