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.