Gardener seeks advice after discovering stubborn plant spreading across yard: 'Definitely invasive'

One frustrated Redditor shared a post detailing an unfortunate gardening mistake they made: planting an invasive species in their yard.

Posted in the r/InvasiveSpecies subreddit group, the photos show a plant with long, waxy leaves on vines. One caption read: "I think they're pretty but they continue to pop up even after I think I've pulled the last of them." 

The poster shared that they live in Florida and, after having little success in their garden, decided to try growing an ube plant. The Redditor said they were now having a difficult time removing it and asked the group: "Am I doing the right thing or should I donate these to someone who could properly grow and use the ube?"

Ube (Dioscorea alata), also known as purple yam and winged yam, is an invasive species in Florida. One commenter wrote: "Unfortunately removing an infestation means tough labor." 

Gardening is a healthy activity with many benefits including exercise, stress relief, and anxiety reduction. Avoiding invasive species and installing a native garden, or rewilding, offers even more benefits. 

Native plants save gardeners time and money. Because these plants have evolved with the regions they're native to, they require much less maintenance and water, reducing service fees and water bills for homeowners. They also grow beautifully with less effort and intervention. 

They offer a healthy ecosystem to pollinators that are then able to continue doing their important job of keeping our food supply safe. 

Native plants are also beneficial for the environment. They save on water consumption and create a better habitat for wildlife. 

Switching to a natural lawn offers homeowners and the environment the same benefits. Options like buffalo grass and clover require less mowing, watering, and chemical treatments compared to traditional turf grass. Even a partial lawn replacement will allow homeowners to reap the rewards.

All is not lost if you plant an invasive species in your yard. Commenters on the Reddit post offered their support and advice to the original poster. One user said: "Ube is definitely invasive in FL (along with the rest of the gulf coast states)."

Another commenter wrote: "Good on you for spotting the problem and wanting to fix it! With tuber plants [like] this you just gotta keep pulling every sprout for a few years."

One Redditor offered a helpful link to visit for information on Florida plants.

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