Starting in about a week or two will be the very best planting time for north Texas' climate. If you've been waiting 'til the spring; that habit is just a holdover from gardening practices "up north". Just make sure you're not planting an invasive species, that you'll regret later.
An “invasive” plant is one that sounds great at
first. But it’s so vigorous that it rapidly becomes a pest. A nuisance. A pain
in the landscape. To put it politely, you can’t restrict or contain the growth
of an invasive plant with anything short of a thick concrete barrier or a
nuclear explosion. (Even that’s not
effective in some cases)
It’s a plant that grows too well, which may sound pretty good to those of you with a
brown thumb.
However, the rapid, overcrowding growth of these
invasive plants quickly turns into an expensive nightmare, one that may involve
your neighbors as well. Invasive plants crowd out, and often kill, your other
landscape plants. Often they produce a great many seeds, sprouting in other
parts of your garden, in cracks in the sidewalk, in nearby parks and in your neighbors’
landscapes.
These plants, which are almost always non-native,
should be avoided (or removed if already planted) because they;
- Crowd out native, and
endangered plants,
- Foul up the instincts
of our birds, who look for native plants to feed on, and for nesting
material and shelter.
- Steal soil nutrients
and water from other plants,
- Crowd out host plants
for butterflies and food sources for our native wildlife,
- Hybridize with native
plants, often resulting in weakening the genetic makeup,
- Serve as hosts for
plant diseases that can infect desired plants,
- Prevent the
establishment of seedlings of desired trees and shrubs,
- Increase the overall
water demand of your landscape,
- Cause you to spend more
time and money weeding, and with insect-controlling sprays.
The poster-child of invasive plants, the “plant that
ate the south”, is Kudzu vine. Like so many non-native plants it was brought to
this country from Asia without the natural
insects and pathogens that normally control it.
One case involving invasive plants in the north Texas area is the
colorful monarch butterfly. The monarch requires plants from the genus “Asclepias”
to lay its eggs. (Milkweed and butterfly weed). But these plants are being crowded
out by things like non-native privet and English ivy. Result: fewer monarch butterflies.
Another example, our native hummingbirds are
confused when they see a Japanese honeysuckle, which appears fine, but is less nutritious and more insect-prone than
our native honeysuckle. Result: hummingbirds go elsewhere.
Several other plants that have been brought to this area
can also be invasive. The main reason is that there’s no natural constraint to
their growth, like there may have been where they were brought from. Therefore
avoid; Japanese honeysuckle, English
ivy, water hyacinth, periwinkle, Tartarian lantana (our native lantana is
excellent), Chinese wisteria, trumpet-creeper, pachysandra, scarlet firethorn,
elephant ears, golden bamboo, mimosa, redtip photinia, Siberian elm and privet
(or ligustrum). Some people even see Bermuda grass as an invasive pest.
Of course, there are several other plants that can
be invasive. Also, some plants I’ve
listed above may not be invasive in very specific, well-controlled environments.
The best way to avoid bringing an invasive plant home is to make sure you get
”Texas-native” plants.
OWEN YOST, in addition to being a
blogger, is a licensed Landscape Architect emeritus who has lived and worked in
north Texas for over 30 years. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement
Award of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and is a member of the American
Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), International Federation of Landscape
Architects, National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society. His office is
at Yost87@charter.net in Denton.
