One conversation at a local nursery changed how I look at invasive plants

I was at Johnson's Greenhouse in my town last Saturday just browsing for some ferns. An older woman working there saw me looking at a big patch of English ivy and asked if I was planning to plant it. I said yeah, it looks nice for ground cover. She didnt get mad or anything, she just calmly told me how that stuff took over her whole backyard in about 3 years and choked out two dozen native wildflowers she had planted. She showed me pictures on her phone of this thick green mat covering everything. That moment stuck with me because I had never thought about how a plant could be pretty but still cause real damage. I ended up buying some creeping phlox instead. Has anyone here had a plant seller talk you out of a purchase before?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewmartin29d ago

My neighbor's been growing English ivy on his trellis for like 12 years and it hasn't spread past that one corner of his yard. I get that some plants can get out of hand but I don't know if one lady's bad experience means we should all panic. Seems like most of the time it's about how much you maintain stuff. I've seen dandelions do way more damage to a lawn than any "invasive" plant ever could.

lily7029d ago

Yeah the "it's all about maintenance" thing is real. I had bamboo in my backyard for years and it was totally fine until I got busy and didn't trim it for one season, then it went crazy. So honestly your neighbor might just be on top of it better than most people lol.

lily7029d ago

I actually read that English ivy can damage brick walls and foundations if it's not kept trimmed back... so maybe your neighbor's got lucky with his spot or he's just really on top of the maintenance, @matthewmartin.