A Massachusetts homeowner looking to beautify their yard was excited to find flowering vine seeds on sale. But upon closer inspection, they worried that what they'd bought wasn't the native species advertised — but a mislabeled invasive variety.
They asked the subreddit r/InvasiveSpecies for advice. "I found these 2 plants, wisteria and orange trumpet vine, pretty cheap," they wrote. "The label does not specify what the full name or version is. After bringing them home … I feel I may have made a mistake because I just read and learned that there is both a native and an invasive species of both these plants. I have not opened the packaging yet nor planted them at all yet … need to hear what the community here has to say before I do anything."
However, the community responded with something surprising: Whether they're the invasive varieties or not, beware of planting.
One commenter clarified that trumpet creeper is native to the Eastern U.S., but it's still "an aggressive growing species that can take over an area if not maintained."
"[Trumpet creeper] can take over extremely aggressively through its rhizome underground, no matter how well maintained the above-ground vine is," another warned. "[My grandfather] planted one on my property years ago before I knew anything about it and it infested my lawn, but after 5 years of digging shoots after cutting the tree down, I got a handle on it."
Others chimed in with horror stories about the other seed type, wisteria, which does come in several varieties — some of which are invasive to North America, and some of which are not.
"Wisteria is terribly invasive and aggressive. I would NOT plant it in the ground or let its vines touch the ground at all," one said. "If you bought it cheap … then I am sure it's the invasive variety. Even a small American wisteria plant at my local nursery is like $100."
"Wisteria is taking over my property," echoed another. "It grows 10-15 feet in a year. Please avoid planting it. It's so hard to control."
For gardeners looking to install native plants, it's well worth the time to double-check with local resources and native plant indices. Because if well maintained, native plants are well worth the investment. "[Trumpet creeper attracts] humming birds and bugs like crazy and has beautiful flowers," one commenter shared. "High maintenance but beautiful."
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