Good gardeners are good weeders. So, what better way to contribute to the health of your local ecological environment than by weeding out truly invasive weeds that endanger our native plant populations? Stepping beyond the garden to a local park or natural area to do a "little weeding" can have a positive environmental impact and is a great way to become more in touch with the native plants and invasive nasties in your region.

In my neck of the woods, some of the biggest weed offenders are garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), fig buttercup (Ranunculus ficaria) and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). These weeds out compete the tender native trilliums (Trillium), jack-in-the-pulpits (Arisaema triphyllum), trout lilies (Erythronium) and spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) among other beautiful spring natives.


A thick mat of garlic mustard and multiflora rose cover the floor of this natural area. No native wildflowers could ever grow beneath.


Garlic mustard is as easy to identify as it is to pull. It has thin, coarsely toothed leaves with a distinctive garlicky scent and its clusters of small, white, four-petaled flowers develop into elongated, upright capsules filled with tons of seeds.


This seemingly innocent buttercup is one of the worst offending invasive plants where I live. It forms large, thick mats of foliage that smother everything beneath and spreads via small, bulb-like appendages that are carried by water and root fast! The best way to kill it is by smothering it.

Weedy vines and shrubs, like Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei),  butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) and burning bush (Euonymus alatus) are also noxious aliens on the chopping block. The latter vines are shrubs are likely a surprise to most gardeners, but in many parts of the country they have become terrible invasives. They permeate our forests and actively crowd out and smother natives and not just those on the forest floor. I have seen many a forest tree smothered and killed by English ivy and even wintercreeper (check out the images below). Many states have placed these plants on invasive lists, so gardeners should avoid planting them--especially if your state warns against them. To learn more go to the National Invasive Species Information Center, the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States, or The Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.


These black cherry trees are almost completely smothered by English ivy. The tree on the far right is nearly dead as a consequence.


English ivy has the power to engulf a tree if allowed to ramble unmaintained.


Japanese honeysuckle forms a thick bramble of vines that can spread up to 60 feet or more. Forget about their fragrant flowers. They are enemies to our native forests.

Many county, state and national parks and preserves have organized weed pulls and other forest restoration projects the public can take part in. Our local Nature Conservancy also has lots of green projects for volunteers, including invasive weed control. Those interested in taking part in a weed pull in their own community should visit their state DNR offices, Nature Conservancy groups or other groups advocating the care of the natural environment. The weeds in the north, south east or west may be different, but the idea and impact is the same.


The best way to kill tree-dwelling English ivy is to cut its vines at the base of the tree.