Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Five Leaf Akebia (Akebia quinate)
Karen Also called chocolate vine, this twining, deciduous, woody vine is native to Japan, China, and Korea but was introduced into the US in 1845 as an ornamental and is now…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Rye
Rye, Secale cereale, is an annual grass related to barley and wheat, and grown for grain, and as a forage and cover crop. It can grow three to six feet…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)
Butterfly bush is a deciduous medium to large shrub native to central China where it forms thickets along waterways. It is naturalized in the US, readily colonizes natural and disturbed…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Turnip
The turnip (Brassica rapa) belongs to the mustard (Brassicaceae) family that also includes cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprout and radish. Brassica rapa has several subspecies including bok choi, pak choi,…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Also called monk’s pepper, chaste tree is a sprawling deciduous shrub a native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia where it grows in moist soil such as those along…
Plant Profile: Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Common hawthorn is a thorny deciduous shrub or small tree and a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that also includes cherry, lady’s mantle and almond. It is native to…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: European Cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. opulus)
European cranberry a large deciduous suckering shrub native to Europe and North Africa and northern Asia where it is found in wet, swampy sites. It was introduced into the North…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Peach
A native of China, the peach (Prunus persica) is a small deciduous short lived tree in the Rosaceae family and in the same genus as plums, cherries, almonds, and apricots.…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Common hawthorn is a thorny deciduous shrub or small tree native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia It was introduced into the US and has become invasive in some…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata)
Also called spreading yew, this evergreen tree or large shrub is native to Japan, Korea, and China but has escaped from cultivation, naturalized in minimally managed areas, and is considered…