Tagged: Invasive Plants

Conservation / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Invasive Plants / Soil Conservation / Wildlife Gardening

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Eliminate Stilt Grass Now

A Window of Opportunity Your window to destroy any Japanese stilt grass on your property closes when its seeds emerge in late August through October.  This tenacious, invasive grass has all the adaptations it needs to gobble up real estate in private yards, public spaces, and in woodlands across America.  But your swift action now, before this year’s seeds ripen, can help stop its spread.     Japanese stilt grass, Microstegium vimineum, is an annual that will die back with...

Beneficial Insects / Conservation / Container Gardens / Evergreen Perennials / Fairy Gardening / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Holiday Plants / Invasive Plants / Poisonous Plants / Tree Care / Wildlife Gardening

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In Defense of Ivy

  Ivy:  Hero or Villain? English ivy, celebrated in hymns and carols, rich in history and tradition, may be among the most hated of ‘imported’ plants for some American gardeners.  Native plant enthusiasts may call ivy a ‘noxious weed.’  And now, thanks to a new state law, HB 1941, which will go into effect in Virginia in January of 2027, horticultural retailers will be required to label ivy as an invasive plant and suggest alternatives whenever it is sold directly...

Bluebirds / boxwood / Citizen Science / Conservation / Flowering Shrubs / Food Forest / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Invasive Plants / Invasive Plants / Jamestown Island / Learning Gardens / Nuisance Plants / Plant Literacy / Poisonous Plants / Resource Protection / Tree Identification / Weeds / Wildlife Gardening / Williamsburg Botanical Garden

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Common Invasive Plants Every Master Gardener Should Know

  The question of invasive plants is an interesting one, in part because the list keeps growing.  Some of the plants on this list may surprise you because they are so commonly found in our local yards and landscapes.  A few plants have just been added to the list over the past year. While some, like stilt grass are noxious weeds, many of these ornamental plants are still available in the nursery trade.  Several are beloved by local butterflies and...

Beneficial Insects / Birds / Carbon Garden / climate change / Climate Change / Conservation / Edible Plants / Flowering Shrubs / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Invasive Plants / Larval Host Plants / Nuisance Plants / Ornamental Shrubs / Resource Protection / Soil Conservation / Wildlife Gardening

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A History of Our War With Plants

  “I use only native plants, native to the planet Earth.  I am using indigenous plants; they are indigenous to this part of the universe.” Bill Mollison, Founder and Director of The Permaculture Institute     In the Beginning… Let’s begin with the obvious:  we live within an ever-changing ecosystem.  Europeans came to North America more than four centuries ago, cutting trees, planting fields, building homes and roads.  Native Americans also cut trees, built homes, planted fields, hunted, and lived...

Beneficial Insects / Birds / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Invasive Plants / Larval Host Plants / Native Trees / Nuisance Plants / Permaculture / Poisonous Plants / Sustainable Gardening / Weeds / Wildlife Gardening

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Noxious or Nice?

  The swiftest way to find yourself in a rollicking argument with someone you may otherwise count as a friend, is to disagree with them over whether a plant is useful in the garden, or is a noxious, invasive weed.  This drama can erupt among those of us passionate about our gardens and the plants we grow.  We all know just enough to know we’re right, but these arguments over plants can hinge on nuance and circumstance. Do you know...