Bring on the Native Plants!

It’s a never ending story — the battle against invasive species! Each year Scott and I do battle against several plant invasive species on our property.  In spring there is Garlic Mustard to pull, at any time of the year there is Oriental Bittersweet to keep track of (while planning its demise come warmer weather) and in summer there’s the frustration of fighting the Oriental Bittersweet, Tree of Heaven and Autumn Olive.   We’re also removing some things that were planted before we got here like periwinkle and lily of the valley, some things our neighbors planted that have spread on to our property and some things that we planted before we knew better.

Given that fighting invasive plants has become an annual ritual, I was excited to attend this month’s Master Gardener Association of Northwest Michigan meeting where Emily Cook of the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network spoke.

The ISN covers our county, Leelanau, as well as Benzie, Grand Traverse and Manistee counties in Northwest Michigan.  There they provide a host of services and work bees to help eradicate invasive plants from our area.  Their website really says it all: HabitatMatters.org.

Why bother with getting rid of invasive plants – especially pretty ones or ones that quickly grow and fill in a bare area?  It’s pretty simple.  Native plants feed wildlife, butterflies and the insects that are so necessary for pollinating plants - including those plants that produce our food - and feeding the birds and butterflies.  Plants that grow quickly are likely to be aggressive enough to push out the native plants that are so important for keeping our world healthy and thriving.

Emily divided invasive species into four categories:  plants that were mistakes like Purple Loosestrife and Phragmites, plants that were prized for beauty before their invasive qualities were discovered such as Buckthorns, Japanese Barberry and Babies Breath, plants that were a well-meaning oops, including Autumn Olive which was heavily promoted as a plant of choice in the 1970s and plants that provide food (and were  brought by our ancestors when they immigrated to this area) such as Garlic Mustard.

One of the great things I learned at Emily’s talk was that ISN keeps a Top 20 list of plants that qualify as invasive species.  This is important for me to know as a master gardener because if I’m giving out advice about planting, I need to know which species are problematic and have been identified as specific problem in our area of the country. 

What was disheartening to hear is that half of the plants on the ISN Top 20 list are still being sold for landscaping.  What was heartening to know is that ISN has a group of landscapers who have agreed not to include invasive species in their projects.  The group is called Go Beyond Beauty and identifies landscapers and nurseries that have committed not to use or sell high-threat invasive plants.  So far ISN has signed up eight nurseries on this list and there are 13 landscapers (two of which have nurseries on the list as well) that are committed to avoiding invasive plants. 

Currently ISN’s focus is on four invasive species: (pictured below)

1.      Japanese knotweed, also referred to as Michigan bamboo.  If you find this on your property, Emily says, call ISN.  Do not move it or mow it!!!

2.      Garlic Mustard, the focus of annual pulls each spring.  The nice thing here is it makes a great pesto sauce and you can bag and dumpster any part you don’t eat.

3.      Phragmites, which is prevalent along our shorelines in Michigan.

4.      Oriental Bittersweet, known for its “kudzu effect” in covering trees and anything else in its path.

If you’re on the fence about removing some of the invasive plants on your property check out some native gardens near you and see how beautiful native plants can be while providing a habitat for birds, butterflies and bees. 

A great read to get you started on the path to gardening with natives is Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy.  Tallamy is a Professor of Entymology at the University of Delaware  and in this book he lays out in precise terms the difference we each can make in changing the way we approach our yards and gardens.

There are several ways you can purchase Bringing Nature Home. You can contact your local independent bookseller or find them on Amazon by clicking on the “Buy on Amazon” button under the picture above. If you do buy this book by following the link in this article, I may receive a commission. I’m a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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