The Greensboro News & Record has an article out about some common invasive plants:
Say “invasive species,” and most people think of snakehead fish, fire ants and killer bees. Ask them to name an invasive plant, and they’ll probably come up with kudzu. But there are nearly 1,600 non-native (also known as exotic) invasive plant species slowly consuming the American landscape, resulting in significant economic, environmental and human costs.
And you may not have to look any further than your own backyard to find one.
Mimosa and Bradford pear trees: invasive.
Japanese honeysuckle and English ivy: invasive.
Japanese, Chinese and common privet: invasive.
Please do some research before you plant. There are better native species available. And as a starter, just say no to Bradford pears, which are overly used, short-lived, and foul-smelling when in bloom. And that’s not even the worst of it:
The Bradford is a hybrid, but when birds eat the fruit and scatter the seeds in their droppings, the resulting plant reverts back to the original species: callery pear. Callery pear has sharp, hard thorns and is extremely difficult to remove.
