A recent Reddit post highlights an issue that can pose big problems to not only home gardens but local ecosystems: invasive plant species.
One user posted in the r/OntarioGardeners subreddit looking for advice about how to tame their overgrown property.
The title reads "How to get this under control" and contains several images from around their property being overtaken by a leafy plant.
"The plants are growing past the pavers lining the garden and I don't know if any of it is worth salvaging or if we are better ripping everything out and adding new soil," the caption reads. "Any advice or suggestions are appreciated."
They noted that they had recently moved into a townhouse and originally intended to wait a year before tackling their garden, but it became a bigger priority when it quickly became overgrown.
Commenters identified the plant as bishop's weed, an invasive species from Asia.
"You now see [bishop's weed] everywhere in the forest because people throw them in the forest … get rid of them," one commenter says. "A tiny fragment … of the stem can turn into a mature plant in a month."
"I planted [bishop's weed] in my garden not knowing [it was invasive] and now it's never going away," another said. "I have regrets."
Invasive plants don't always look menacing, but they can be detrimental to the environment. They overtake ecosystems — degrading habitats, sucking up resources, polluting water, transmitting diseases, damaging crops, and causing fire risk in the process. This harms both the local ecosystem and the economy.
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Combating invasive plants generally requires large-scale efforts, but you can help by rewilding your property or opting for a natural lawn.
Rewilded or natural lawns provide a healthy ecosystem for plants and wildlife, including the pollinators that protect our food supply. You can do this by replacing your grass with low-maintenance native plants like clover and buffalo grass, and by allowing nature to reclaim some of your property.
You won't just give your local ecosystem a boost by rewilding or upgrading to a natural lawn, you can also save time and money with reduced maintenance needs.
Rewilded or natural lawns can be a space for plants and wildlife to thrive without invasive plants, but you may have to rid your property of some first. Commenters on the Reddit post offered advice on how to do it.
"You could try solarizing," one says before warning, "But unless you get it all, it's going to come back."
"Remove all plants on a grey cool day," another suggests. "Then remove all the [bishop's weed]. It will be a lot of 'thready roots.'"
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