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It can be quite frustrating to have carefully designed and tended your garden, only to find out that certain plants are growing and multiplying rapidly and taking over your beautiful landscape. These super-spreading plants are invasives that can quickly crowd out native vegetation and become a nuisance, while also threatening biodiversity.
If these aggressive and invasive plants aren’t contained, they can end up harming the environment, animals, insects, and people. They can even cause expensive, large-scale problems, such as damaging structures, increasing fire risk, destroying crops, or affecting water quality. Kudzu, for example, can grow to the point that it blocks sunlight, which results in the demise of other plants.
To protect your yard, you’ll want to contain invasive climbing vines, perennial herbs, and ground covers that can easily spread and wreak havoc before you know it.
1. Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris)
While not all types of bamboo are invasive, but those genera that are invasive (Bambusa, Phyllostachys, Pleioblastus, and Pseudosasa) can quickly take over your yard. Bamboo is a woody grass with hollow shoots that is considered one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Some species grow as much as 36 inches per day.
Because it grows rapidly and densely, bamboo can serve as an effective natural privacy fence. When left to grow on its own, however, running bamboo can end up spreading across the lawn, into flower beds, and up through cracks in the concrete. The best way to control bamboo is by focusing on the rhizomes; remove the rhizomes to stop bamboo from spreading or install something underground to act as a barrier.
2. English Ivy (Hedera helix)
Originating in Europe, English ivy was brought over to the United States in the 1700s and remains one of the worst-spreading invasive plants today due to its rooting ability. Common ivy thrives in different types of conditions but is mainly found causing problems along the East and West coasts of the country. It slowly kills trees, shrubs, and other vegetation by blocking out sunlight.
These vines filled with distinctive, dark green leaves can also damage fences, walls, and other surfaces as the ivy grows wildly on your property. To kill ivy permanently, cut through the leaves and vines before pulling up its roots and disposing of them. Commit to ripping out residual growth as well during the next few years, since it can regrow from any missed roots and birds can spread seeds.
3. Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
Known for its red berries and variegated leaves in shades of red, orange, purple, and yellow, this invasive deciduous shrub was first introduced in Boston in 1875. Now it grows across the Eastern and Midwestern United States in forests and is often used as a hedge in yards since it is colorful and has thorns to deter certain animals.
However, in the right conditions, Japanese barberry can form a dense thicket that can end up crowding out native plants. It will root wherever branches touch the ground, and seeds spread easily as a result of birds dispersing the berries. The most effective way to remove Japanese barberry is to pull out the entire plant and its roots, which are shallow, but will re-sprout if left in the ground.
4. Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
Many people enjoy smelling and tasting the sweet white-yellow flowers and nectar of Japanese honeysuckle, but this invasive plant can quickly become unmanageable. After being introduced in the United States in 1806 to control erosion, it has become problematic in half the country. Its vines can aggressively take over trees and shade out native seedlings. Honeysuckle tends to spread quickly since birds eat the fruit of the plant and disperse it. It grows rapidly, sometimes reaching 50 feet high with its vines. The weight of the vines can crush vegetation underneath. These invasives need to be pruned regularly to control their growth. Small plants can be pulled out by the roots. Larger and more established vines, however, should be cut back to the ground before applying an herbicide to the stumps.
5. Japanese Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda)
Introduced in the United States in the 1830s, this plant is loved for its fragrant purple blossoms on hardy vines. A Japanese wisteria vine can live for more than 50 years, rapidly climbing anything that it comes in contact with. Unfortunately, as it spreads, it girdles and smothers nearby native plants, which can destroy landscaping.
Japanese wisteria needs to be pruned regularly to manage its growth and keep its shape. Restrict growth by pruning wisteria annually in two stages: once in late winter and a second time when blooming is finished in late spring or early summer.
6. Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata)
Widely known as “the vine that ate the South,” kudzu arrived in the United States from Japan in 1876. It is a perennial vine with three broad leaves at the end of each protruding stem; these leaves can grow up to 7 or 8 inches long. Once established, kudzu grows vigorously, at about 1 foot per day and 60 feet annually. It sprawls across the landscape in an unstoppable way, covering everything in its path, including buildings, the ground, and trees.
Unfortunately, kudzu ends up smothering other plants and killing trees by adding too much weight and girdling or toppling them over. It’s best to take precautions to keep this invasive out of your yard. Kudzu can be removed by chemicals or by hand. It’s critical to remove the crown at the top of the roots system rather than the entire root. To do this, follow the vine to the ground and dig around the crown to separate it from the taproots.
7. Mint (Mentha spp.)
While mint is a lovely perennial herb to grow in your garden—given its refreshing fragrance and utility in the kitchen—it can also spread quickly throughout your yard. Underground runners from the mint plant, or rhizomes, can vigorously take over a garden bed and compete with nearby plants. Ultimately, the mint can smother other plants and ruin the rest of your garden. To keep mint under control, plant it in 12- to 16-inch-wide pots. Be sure to remove any runners or shoots as they appear and to trim the plant regularly to prevent excessive growth.
