Invasive Plants & Their Alternatives

The Dirty Dozen of Invasive Plants: Do not plant these!

  • Garlic Mustard
  • Giant Hogweed
  • Japanese/Bohemian Knotweed
  • Japanese Stiltgrass
  • Mile-A-Minute Vine
  • Oriental Bittersweet
  • Pale/Black Swallow-wort
  • Phragmites
  • Porcelain Berry
  • Purple Loosestrife
  • Water Chestnut
INVASIVE
SPECIES
NON-INVASIVE
ALTERNATIVES

Norway Maple

Maples (Acer rubrum, A. saccharinum), Oaks (Quercus spp.), Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Callery Pear American Plum (Prunus americana), Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Shadbush (Amelanchier spp.), Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
Barberries Brambles (Rubus spp.), Roses (Rosa virginana, R. caroliniana) Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Highbush cranberry (Viburnum americanum)
Autumn Olive & Russian Olive Spicebush (Lindera benzoi), Pussywillows (salix discolor), Shrubby St. John's-wort (Hypericum prolificum), Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides), Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)
Bittersweet & Porcelain Berry Woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea), Wild grapes (vitis spp.), Virgin's bower (Clematis virginiana)
Wisteria Honeysuckles (Lonicera sempervirens L. dioica), Allegheny vine (Adlumia fungosa), Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)
Purple Loosestrife Vervain (Verbena hastata), Eastern lupine (Lupinus perennis), Blazing stars (Liatris spp.)
Burning Bush Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolium), Mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), Virginia sweet spice (Itea virginica)

The above table is taken from The Nature Conservancy Eastern New York Chapter wallet card for Invasive Plants and Their Alternatives