Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County

invasive plants

Non-Native Invasive Plants: Japanese Spirea

Japanese Spirea

What is Japanese spirea?
Gardeners imported Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica) to the United States in 1870 for use in Victorian-era landscapes. The easy-to-grow shrubs with the compact habit and pink flowers remained a favorite. Now Japanese spirea is one of many Asian shrubs threatening the ecosystems of our native southern forests.

Why is it a problem?
Japanese spirea has small seeds that wash away and rapidly take over disturbed areas; they are especially a problem when they reach stream banks. Seeds may also arrive in fill dirt used in home construction.

Once established, Japanese spirea forms dense stands that outcompete the native forest flora. Seeds from Japanese spirea can last for years in the soil, making the spread difficult to control. Note that although Japanese spirea is not yet on North Carolina’s statewide list of invasive plant species, it is specifically noted as an invasive plant in Buncombe County and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Some cultivars of the invasive Japanese spirea have golden leaves like this ‘Goldflame’ spirea

How Can I Help?
Don’t plant Japanese spirea! Consider using native plants in your landscape. Some alternatives are:
• The native spireas, white meadowsweet (Spiraea alba),

The native meadowsweet has white flowers.

• sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia),
• silky dogwood (Cornus amomum),
• leatherleaf (Dirca palustris),
• Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica),
• ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius).

This native clethra has pink flowers.

Consider removing existing plants.
If you can’t easily dig up your planting, cutting back and repeated mowing can help eliminate unwanted shrubs. Be sure to keep cutting back to prevent seed production!
For large infestations, herbicides containing triclopyr or glyphosate are effective. Be careful to follow label directions!

Article by Barbara Hayes, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer

For more information:
Weed of the Week:https://www.invasive.org/weedcd/pdfs/wow/japanese-spiraea.pdf

Distribution of Japanese spirea:https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/subject.html?sub=3076

Invasive exotic plants in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/non-natives.htm

Non-Native Invasive Plants: Bamboo—The Plant We All Love to Hate!

A visitor to the Extension Master Gardener office told me he had a plant to identify that was too big to bring inside—that got my interest. In the back of his truck he had a grass-like plant over 10 feet tall with hollow stems!

 Bamboo or river cane?

I was looking at either a running type of bamboo (Phyllostachys spp.) or another form of bamboo: river cane (Arundinaria spp.). The difference between the two? One is an extremely aggressive invasive native and the other is a native.

 Phyllostachys aurea is a bamboo species of the ‘running bamboo’ type. It is commonly known by the names fishpole bamboo and golden bamboo.  This is the species most widely seen in the landscape. A related species is Phyllostachys nigra—black bamboo—is also widely cultivated and invasive! They both form dense—almost impenetrable—thickets that crowd out all other plants.

Invasive Bamboo

Arundinaria is the only bamboo native to North America, found in the south-central and southeastern United States. It is tree-like, growing to heights up to 26 ft. It has distinctive fan-like cluster of leaves at the top of new stems called a top knot. Arundinaria gigantea, commonly known as river cane, is a woody plant native to North Carolina.  River cane communities occur on floodplains, bogs, along streams and rivers and in riparian woods.

River Cane

It became obvious to me that my visitor just wanted it gone from his yard!

Dr. Joseph C. Neal, Department of Horticultural Science, at NC State University, discusses three techniques for dealing with bamboo in the publication “Controlling Bamboo in Landscape Plantings.”

Removal

To eliminate a planting completely requires physically removing as much of the top growth and root mass as possible—this will require power equipment for large infestations! Bamboo will regenerate from any small rhizomes left behind so long-term follow-up will typically require the use of herbicides or planting the area in lawn:

  • Chemical control involves spraying with a post-emergent, non-selective herbicide such as glyphosate and may require repeated spraying whenever new growth occurs.
  • Convert to lawn avoids the use of herbicides and relies on the fact that bamboo will not tolerate frequent mowing. This works only if you mow the entire area! If you don’t eliminate the entire stand, new shoots will keep moving in from the remaining plants.

Containment

  • If you want to contain a bamboo planting, you can install a barrier— concrete, metal, plastic, or pressure-treated wood—installed at least 18 inches deep that slants outward and rises at least a couple of inches above the ground. Because barriers only deflect rhizomes rather than prevents them from growing, you will need to inspect the barrier at least yearly to remove any new rhizomes.

Regardless of which method of control you choose, eradicating a bamboo infestation requires intensive effort over several years.  Of course, the best way to prevent bamboo from becoming a weed is to avoid planting the invasive, spreading-type bamboos in the first place—and ask your neighbors to avoid it, too!

 Article by Bob Wardwell, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer

Controlling bamboo in landscape plantings:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/controlling-bamboo-in-landscape-plantings

Identifying Native Bamboo: www.namethatplant.net/article_nativebamboo.shtml

More about river cane:

http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2017/6/26/north-americas-native-bamboos

Non-Native Invasive Plants: Chinese and Japanese Wisteria

Those looping vines of purple-lilac flowers that looked so attractive this spring? Probably non-native wisteria—and proof that you cannot always judge plants by their showy flowers! These vines are extremely invasive, infesting roadsides, forest edges, and rights-of-way. They grow up almost anything in their path—limited only by the height of whatever they climb, with stems reaching up to 15 inches in diameter! They can shade out tree leaves, decreasing photosynthesis, and eventually killing the tree.

Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)

Wisteria identification
There are two Asian wisterias that have invaded most of the east coast and all of the southeastern United States: Japanese (Wisteria floribunda), which has lighter bark and twines counterclockwise around its host, and Chinese wisteria (W. sinensis) with dark gray bark that twines clockwise.

Management

Mechanical
For small wisteria infestations, remove entire plants, along with their roots and runners. Any root pieces left in the soil can re-sprout to produce new plants!

For more extensive infestations, cut climbing or trailing vines as close to the ground as possible. Although this may be labor intensive, it is a feasible control in areas where you cannot use herbicides. Cut vines back early in the season, and then every few weeks until the fall. This will stop growth of existing vines and prevent seed production. Remove wisteria vines from the bases of trees and shrubs to prevent girdling as the trees and shrubs grow.

Dispose of fruit, roots, and other plant parts in bags—not in the compost—to prevent re-infestation.

Chemical
The best time to apply an herbicide is in the spring and summer when wisteria is actively growing. Be sure to allow adequate time for the plant to regrow from the winter to ensure movement of the herbicide back into the underground portion.

Foliar application of a 2% (2.5 Ounces (oz) or 5 Tablespoons (Tbsp) per gallon of water) concentration of triclopyr with a 0.5% (0.5 oz or 1.25 Tbsp per gallon of water) nonionic surfactant is an effective control if you wish to use an herbicide. NOTE: If wisteria vines are growing up into trees or other desirable plants, you must pull the vines down prior to application of chemicals to minimize damage to the desirable vegetation. Do not cut the vines at ground level because the herbicide must move into the root system to provide better control!

If you must cut the vines at ground level, you can control the plants using the cut stump treatment method. Cut stems as close to the ground as possible and immediately apply a 25% (32 oz or 4 cups per gallon of water) solution of triclopyr to the stem. Wear disposable plastic gloves and se a disposable paint brush to apply the herbicide in order to ensure adequate coverage of the cut stem and minimize drift to desirable vegetation.

Native alternatives for Chinese and Japanese Wisteria
American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), native from Virginia to Missouri and south to Florida and Texas, is a clockwise twining deciduous woody vine that grows to 40 feet or more. It has fragrant, pea-like, lilac-purple flowers in drooping 6-inch long racemes that bloom in April-May after the leaves emerge but before they fully develop. This is an excellent vine for freestanding arbors, pergolas, posts, trellises, fences or terrace walls, but do NOT allow it to grow up desirable trees and shrubs!
Other native plant alternatives:
Hummingbird favorites:
• Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

• Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)

• Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)—this one can sucker and holds on with adhesive disks that can damage siding, so plant where it can spread away from your house!

Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans)

Butterfly host:
• Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla)—Host plant for pipevine swallowtail butterflies

Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla)

Article by Bob Wardwell, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer
For more information:

Wisteria sinensis, Chinese Wisteria:
https://articles.extension.org/pages/62675/wisteria-sinensis-chinese-wisteria

Postemergence, Non-Selective Herbicides for Landscapes and Nurseries
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/postemergence-non-selective-herbicides-for-landscapes-and-nurseries

As the vine twines:
http://www.namethatplant.net/article_asthevinetwines.shtml

Native vines for butterflies:
https://www.wildlifehc.org/10-native-vines-to-attract-butterflies/

 

Contact Us

Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

Events

Keep up with our events by subscribing to the blog or checking our Events Calendar.

Explore the Archives

Back to Top