Controlling Invasive Plants – Durham Garden Forum Tuesday, December 11, 2018 6:30 – 8:00pm
Duke Gardens, 420 Anderson St, Durham, NC 27708
What are the invasive plants that threaten North Carolina and how can we control these plants? Learn which plants to avoid and prevent problems before they begin. If the horse has already left the barn in your garden, Johnny Randell, NC Botanical Gardens Director of Conservation Programs, will help you learn how to eradicate these thugs from your garden and landscape. Meet at the Doris Duke Center.
For membership information, email durhamgardenforum@gmail.com.
$10 per meeting payable to Durham Garden Forum. Forum members free with $25 annual membership.
(919) 668-1707
Editor’s note: This is the third and final installment in a series about creating a bird-friendly yard. In the two previous blog articles, Wendy Diaz, EMGV, wrote about pivotal moments in her life as a gardener: deciding to focus on native plants, and creating a plan based on plant recommendations from the National Audobon Society.
My plan to create a bird-friendly yard will be accomplished in two stages. Stage 1 is the removal of high-threat invasive species in the fall of this year (2018), and Stage 2 will commence in the spring of 2019 by removing non-natives that are not high threat but their native alternatives would provide more benefit for wildlife and not multiply as quickly.
My garden plan includes the following replacements based on recommendations from the New Hope Audubon Society, NC Botanical Garden and the Going Native Website1,2,3:
Already Removed
Invasive Plant
Native Alternative Plant
Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin)
Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana)
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Chinese beauty berry (Callicarpa dichotoma)
native beauty berry (Callicarpa americana)
Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum)
Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)
Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Stage I Removal of High Threat Invasive Species (Fall, 2018)
Invasive Plant
Native Alternative Plant
Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) or trumpet vine (Campsis radicanas) or Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) and Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)/high bush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Grass
Rosy Sedge (Carex rosea) and Pink muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
Siberian Iris
Scarlet rose-mallow (Hibiscus coccineus)
Liriope (Liriope muscari variegated)
Bee balm (Monarda didyma)
Next time you are considering an ornamental plant to add to your landscape why not try a native plant that suits your needs and helps wildlife at the same time? At the very least, don’t plant invasive species like I did. Hopefully in time, I will attract new birds, butterflies and caterpillars. Then I will need a better camera lens to zoom in on all the new flowers and animals!
Scarlet Rose-Mallow Home garden Photo taken by Wendy Diaz July 25, 2018Blue bird next to white oak. Home garden Photo taken by Wendy Diaz May 10, 2017