Some pond plants escape into local water areas and become pests.

Maybe it’s time that nurseries label invasive plants. After all, many home gardeners aren’t likely to research the plants they like and a number of ornamental plants can be dangerous to surrounding areas. In fact, we’ve gotten amazingly comfortable importing plants from all over the country so gardens can sparkle with a vast assortment of plant choices, but have given very little thought to what could do too well in an ideal environment without natural predators and other checks.

Often I find myself waxing poetic about the beauty of a plant or flower without thinking my readers may be in a completely different eco-system and those same plants can be invasive pests in someone else’s garden. What’s more, I often see nurseries selling plants that are listed as official pests just because customers like them and they sell well.

I wonder. Would people buy differently if plants were actually labeled as invasive pests at the nursery?  Or would they buy and plant them anyway? Hmmm.

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