Protect your environment from invasive plants
Pests in the garden are not always creepy crawlers, they can also be plants, and some are very attractive. However, attractiveness does not always mean good, and you may be surprised to learn that some plants in your landscape should not be present at all. The California Invasive Plant Council, or Cal-IPC, is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect California's environment and economy from invasive plants. It was established in 1992 to address environmental threats from invasive plants, which it defines as plants not native to an environment that, once introduced, establish quickly, reproduce freely, and spread widely. Its website, cal-ipc.org, has a very comprehensive inventory of plants that are already considered to be invasive or are to be watched because of their potential for being invasive.
Learn before you plant
I think everyone is aware that Scotch Broom, Cytisus scoparius, and Yellow Starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis, are highly invasive plants, as is Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima. But did you also know that English Ivy, Hedera helix, and Mexican Feather Grass, Nassella tenuissima, are on Cal-IPC's list of invasive plants? I frequently see Mexican Feather Grass in various landscapes, but this is an extremely vigorous plant and will spread quickly out of its designated place in a garden by freely reseeding just about everywhere. English Ivy is also still frequently planted, but this vigorous groundcover will grow up walls and trees, ruining building exteriors and choking the life out of trees. It is also a notorious hideout for snakes and rodents. Pampas Grass, Cortaderia selloana, is another no-no to plant because of its very vigorous growth habit and wind-driven seed dispersal of up to 20 miles from the parent plant.
Another very good resource for learning about invasive plants and noxious weeds can be found at ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74139.html/ There are good alternatives to invasive plants and some of these can be found at plantright.org.
What can an individual do to help decrease the number of invasive plants? First, educate yourself by researching a plant's characteristics before you put it in your garden. Then, share information about invasive plants with family, friends, and neighbors. Finally, if you see an invasive plant being offered at a nursery or other businesses where plants are sold, politely talk to the personnel who do the buying; they may not be aware that a plant is on the invasive list, and I bet would welcome the information. We can all do a small part to help decrease the number of these invasive plants.
This article, written by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Sue McDavid, originally appeared in Village Life in spring of 2026.
Are you curious about the "pest" status of a plant in your garden? Reach out to the UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County to answer your gardening questions.