The ten plants on this list all come from different parts of the world and while they may be valued in their own countries over here they are regarded as invasives which spread like wildfire. It’s just a pity that several are most attractive and but for their invasive character would make a great addition to your garden. These ten plants are described in an article by Molly Marquand which I found on Rodale’s Organic Life website.

Everyone dreams of a no-fuss garden?one that flowers and fruits and flourishes without perplexing horticultural problems. The thing is, many of the plants touted by the nursery industry as easy to grow actually grow a little too easily and become invasive. Next time you?re perusing the garden center shelves, eschew plants like the ones listed below: They?re known for bad behavior and botanical misdeeds. Instead, pick a native (or just a non-invasive) alternative. Natives are often just as hardy, and they?re much better at attracting a diversity of birds and pollinators to the garden.

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English Ivy

Dark-leafed beauty that it is, English ivy is one of horticulture?s earliest delinquents. Popularized over a hundred years ago for its wild and rampant growth, it?s precisely those characteristics that make it so unruly in places it?s not supposed to be (like in the woods, outside your garden). To control it, keep cutting the vine back, but better yet, don?t plant it in the first place.

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Japanese Barberry

The big daddy of the bad boys, Japanese barberry is just about the worst horticultural invasive gracing the face of planet earth?and that?s not an exaggeration. Not only does Japanese barberry grow outside the garden just as well as it does inside, but?it proliferates extraordinarily quickly, and is a major tick magnet. For those of you living in the east, break out the long pants and repellent when walking through barberry, or dig it out?every last bit of it.

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Hardy Kiwi

There?s growing evidence that this popular fruiting vine is prone to bad behavior?just ask New Zealanders who have watched hardy kiwi?s close relatives take over vast swaths of forest in that country. Easy to grow with beautiful flaky bark and clusters of richly scented flowers, hardy kiwi is a challenge to get rid of, and will grow so aggressively it?ll literally topple canopy level trees.

See more at Rodale’s Organic Life
Feature Photo: ?Irina Borsuchenko/shutterstock