5 Invasive, Aggressive, Troublesome Plants to Watch Out For in a Virginia Garden

The Oak Spring Garden Foundation has a large variety of plant species.

But if the foundation had to name just five invasive species that were particularly tenacious, widespread, and unwanted on the property, those would be the five listed below.

1. Tree of Heaven from China (Ailanthus)

In the winter, the leaves of Japanese honeysuckle are still green.

It has clusters of nectar-filled blossoms and an overpowering scent.

Early in the nineteenth century, Japanese honeysuckle was brought to North America for ornamental purposes.

According to the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, it is currently categorized as a noxious weed in Virginia due to its propensity to smother and kill native vegetation as well as suffocate shrubs and saplings by girdling.

The University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, through its Urban Forest Initiative, lists several native species, like the trumpet honeysuckle, which are both even more lovely and much better suited to North American ecosystems.