Garden Center Sells Invasive Species

When we lived in North Carolina I spent many a sweat-filled hour on a ladder with saw and crowbar prying English Ivy off of trees and the side of our house.  It had taken over whole hillsides and several disturbed areas in the woods.  It is almost as bad as Kudzu.  Yesterday I tried a new garden center on the border of North and South Carolina and was shocked to find them selling pots of this monster.  I mentioned it to someone who replied that they wouldn't sell it if people didn't ask for it.  I went away without buying anything.  This morning I wrote them this letter:

I recently visited your garden center and found it to be an attractive, friendly place with a surprising variety of healthy plants.  But I was shocked to discover that you were selling English Ivy (Hedera helix).  One only need drive up 176 a mile or two to see how this plant can dominate a natural plant community to the complete exclusion of all native undergrowth and even kill trees.  In fact, in North Carolina, this plant is classified as a Rank 1 Invasive Species, meaning that it is one of the worst non-native species; a vigorous grower which displaces our native plant and animal species.

 

The first step in controlling the spread of invasives is to stop planting them.  When customers ask for plants that are a menace, I would hope that you would use that opportunity to educate them about our native “alternatives”.  They are generally the plants best adapted to our local climate and most attractive to birds and wildlife.  For instance, in response to a query about English Ivy, you could recommend Virginia Creeper which has similar habits, but provides brilliant fall foliage and small blue fruits that are very attractive to birds.  It anchors itself harmlessly with little spots of glue instead of aerial roots that suck the sap from living trees, ruin wood siding, and even penetrate painted concrete.  If a native plant escapes cultivation, there are numerous natural predators and diseases to keep it from wiping out everything else in the landscape.  Other good native suggestions might be Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera Simpervierns), Carolina Jessamine, or Crossvine.

 

After seeing the English Ivy, I discovered you were also selling Japanese Barberry.  While it may not be particularly dangerous here, I know it was displacing native vegetation where I used to live up north.  The experience of seeing dangerous plants mixed in with the rest of your selection made me feel very uncomfortable about choosing any plant I didn’t already know to be safe.  Not having the invasive list memorized, I simply left and did my shopping elsewhere that day.

 

North and South Carolina have a unique, beautiful, and important natural history.  Selling plants which are representative of that history will add to the sense of “place” that makes the Carolinas wonderfully different from any other place on earth.  I am including copies of the NC and SC Invasive Species lists.  Both North and South Carolina have native plant societies that you can join.  I find the SCNPS to be a very friendly group of practical and interesting people.  Their meetings are always uplifting and educational.  I would encourage you to join one or both organizations.

If I had any doubts about the demand for native species, they vanished when I attended the SCNPS native plant sale this spring.  We arrived within 15 minutes of the start time and already over 100 people were filling carts with plants.  Several things I didn’t grab instantly were gone when I made a second round.  We actually had to defend our cart from other shoppers several times a minute while we shopped.  Every plant they sold was native to South Carolina (even one extinct native tree was offered - the Franklin tree, Franklinia alatamaha - which now occupies the most prized spot in our landscape).  Every shopper knew that they could feel good about what they were doing for the environment and where their money was going.  If you have any doubts about the economic benefits of selling native, I encourage you to attend the fall plant sale and see for yourself.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this letter and consider my concerns.  I can tell that a lot of thought and effort has already gone into making your business as nice as it is.  When making your inventory selections in the future, please, “First, do no harm”.  The native plant communities will thank you and ultimately, your customers will thank you.

If anyone has suggestions about how to improve such a letter for the next garden center I'm all ears.