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| PHOTO 1: Macartney roses have petite blooms. PHOTO 2: Nandina produces bright red berries in the winter. PHOTO 3: Chinaberry trees produce fruit. |
It’s often tempting to bring home those colorful or unusual exotic plants at the nursery and place them in your garden. But it’s important to know exactly what you are getting yourself – and your landscape – into before you buy.
Some exotic plants are highly invasive non-native species that can cause economic or environmental harm. Invasive species often have no natural predators and can reproduce and spread rapidly and prolifically, overcoming beneficial native species.
Left unchecked, many invasives can transform entire ecosystems, as the native species disappear along with the wildlife, birds and insects that depend on them for food, shelter or habitat. These three invasive plants are increasingly common in Central Texas and should be avoided or removed from landscapes:
- Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata): Imported from the Orient in the 1800s as a hedge for fencing and as an ornamental. It has a thorny stem and produces white flowers in early summer. Today about 500,000 acres of Texas rangeland is infested with this plant. It is easiest to control when the plants are still small. Consider planting low-maintenance antique roses such as the Cecile Brunner instead.
- Berrying varieties of nandina (Nandina domestica): A native of China, also known as heavenly bamboo. The berrying varieties grow in a clump and have bright red berries in the winter that serve as a food source for birds, who then distribute the seeds. It has been used as an ornamental plant in Central Texas. Consider planting Texas sage, Barbados cherries or nonberrying varieties of nandina instead.
- Chinaberry tree (Melia azedarach): A native of China, this tree has been planted as a drought-tolerant ornamental. Birds feed on its yellow berries then disperse the seeds over large areas, allowing the plant to spread rapidly. These trees often are found along rivers and creeks. Young trees can be pulled up by the roots, while older trees should be cut down and the stumps treated after being cut. Consider planting a Chinquapin oak or a Texas red oak instead.
Lee Fritsch is a natural resources conservation coordinator for LCRA. He can be reached at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 8140, or lee.fritsch@lcra.org. |
