Plant This, Not That: Invasive Trees and Bushes Replacements

Callery Pear (white/green) invading a wooded. Credit: Daviess-Martin CISMA

Considering removing invasive bushes and trees in your yard? Congrats! You’re taking a major step in the control of invasive species not only in your yard, but across the entire state. These species not only produce small offspring plants that pop up in your home gardens, but also are distributed far and wide when birds eat the berries and carry them away. If your plant has berries or seeds, it is spreading into our natural areas. By removing these species from your yard, you are not only protecting you and your neighbor’s properties, but also helping to preserve beautiful parks and public lands.

The bushes and trees listed below were very commonly sold as landscaping plants up until April of 2019 when the Terrestrial Plant Rule came into effect—aside from callery pear and burning bush which are excluded from the rule and still used in landscaping. If you aren’t sure if these plants are in your home landscaping, you can use a plant ID app and the links below. Disclaimer: These apps aren’t always 100% accurate. If you have questions about plant ID, please reach out to our office.

This article won't go into detail about how to identify these plants. For more information, visit the links below or reach out to our office with questions.

• Callery Pear
• Asian Bush Honeysuckle
• Burning Bush
• Japanese Barberry

Removal
If you will not be removing all the plants in one year, it's best to consider the prioritization of each species. The order in which you treat these plants largely depends on each individual situation. In some cases, it may be best to get rid of the plants that are producing the most seeds. This way, you are slowing the spread of these species and potentially saving yourself some hard work in the future. Alternatively, it may make sense to remove several small species while they are still easy to remove to avoid hard labor after they grow larger. Ultimately this decision is up to the landowner.

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Mechanical treatment
When these bushes and trees are small, they can sometimes be removed by hand pulling or utilizing a puller bar. While doing this, it is important to remove the entire root of the plant. Puller bars, and other tools are available through our tool loan program.

Herbicide treatment
Herbicide treatment, specifically cut stump treatment, is an efficient way to remove larger bushes and trees that cannot be hand pulled. When you remove a lot of large bushes by hand in a small area, you can cause soil disturbance. Not only can this cause erosion and soil quality issues, but it also can stimulate seed growth of any seeds in the seedbank--including invasives. Specific Cut stump treatment is done by cutting the bush/tree down so there is only an inch of trunk above the soil. Then the stump can be dabbed or brushed with herbicide, in this case, glyphosate. This information, as well as herbicide percentages can be found on the SICIM Calendar of Control.​

Native Alternatives 
Diversity of plants is key when you want to have healthier soil, protect water resources, provide habitat and food for native wildlife and pollinators, and have a more colorful natural area. This year we will have several native shrubs and trees that could make great replacements for these species through our annual tree sale.

Other options are included below, and can be www.hcinvasives.org/alternatives.html found on the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership website.