Groundcovers & Perennials Groundcovers & Perennials Groundcovers & Perennials Gardening green Many of the characteristics that make a plant a good choice for the garden may also Groundcovers & Taiwan raspberry make it a successful invader: Don’t plant: Don’t plant: California is a gardener's dream. Our mild climate allows (Rubus pentalobus) Don’t Forms a highly textured, us to have fantastic gardens, showcasing a wide variety Garden Plants Invasive Plants Perennials periwinkle licorice plant of ornamental plants from all Easy to propagate Broad germination (Vinca major) evergreen groundcover that (Helichrysum petiolare) Establish rapidly Colonizer supresses weeds. Foliage can around the world. This aggressive grower has Seeds are wind dispersed, Mature early Mature early Don’t plant: turn a beautiful scarlet color in trailing stems that root and the spreading branches Courtesy Courtesy Incredible Edibles Abundant flowers Prolific seeds . Alfred Brousseau, fall. Yellow, raspberry-like fruit But sometimes, our garden wherever they touch the soil. will root at any point of Pest/disease tolerant Few natural predators iceplant or Hottentot fig is edible fresh or in preserves. plants "jump the fence" and This ability to resprout from 1995 Br contact with the ground. Saint Saint Mary's College plant a (Carpobrotus edulis) © invade natural areas. These Invasive plants are by nature a regional problem. A plant stem fragments enables Licorice plant has been Botanical Botanical Garden invasive plants can become Small mammals can carry seeds of periwinkle to spread rapidly in shady creeks and found displacing native Courtesy Missouri that jumps out of the garden in one climate and habitat iceplant from landscape settings to serious wildland weeds that type may behave perfectly in another. The twelve drainages, smothering the native plant community. giant alumroot plants in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and threaten California's nearby coastal dunes and other (Heuchera maxima and hybrids) other sensitive coastal areas. problem plants listed here have escaped from gardens sensitive areas. The vigorous biodiversity and economy. English ivy, Algerian ivy This evergreen groundcover has throughout the greater Bay Area. groundcover forms impenetrable heart-shaped leaves and tiny, pest! mats that compete directly with (Hedera helix, H. caneriensis) Instead try: Over half of the plants bell-shaped, pink and white How to use this brochure: native vegetation, including several When birds carry the seeds of these popular plants into currently damaging flowers that hang gracefully from This brochure suggests safe alternatives for these rare and threatened plants along wildlands, ivys can smother coast purple sage California's wildlands were plants. When you are buying new plants, consider these forest trees and understory thin stalks. the coast. (Salvia leucophylla) Give them an inch originally introduced for alternatives, or ask your local nursery for other non- plants by completely shading landscaping purposes. Courtesy Barry Rice, The Nature Conservancy A California native with graceful French broom invades Bay Area hillsides. invasive plants. If one of the invasive plants is already them, which also prevents atson Courtesy Courtesy El Nativo Growers, Inc. Garden escapes like in your yard, especially if you live near wildlands, you Instead try: Charles Webber © 1998 California Academy of Sciences regeneration of new tree and silvery-green leaves, arching ynn ynn W and they’ll take an pampasgrass and Scotch broom may have desirable may want to remove it and replace it with a recom- shrub seedlings. Ivy also branches, and whorls of purple characteristics in a garden setting, but outside the 2002 L flowers in spring and summer. mended alternative. Think about why you might plant © Botanical Botanical Garden hardy iceplant Courtesy Missouri harbors pests, such as rats wild ginger garden these plants displace native species and alter one of the problem plants in the first place. Is it just for (Delosperma cooperi) and snails. (Asarum caudatum) acre... natural processes. the way it looks? If so, finding a replacement is often A non-invasive iceplant with smaller, A California native, this easy—some of the alternatives listed here are selected . Howitt, bush germander succulent leaves and brilliant violet- evergreen groundcover has Some of these plants show weedy tendencies in the especially for their similar appearance. Or maybe you Instead try: 2003 The African Garden pink flowers May through October. (Teucrium fruticans and cultivars) © David David Fenwick heart-shaped leaves and garden as well. For example, English ivy can take over a need a plant to fill a functional role, such as a This plant has loosely-branching, Salt tolerant. unusual maroon flowers. yard and damage buildings and fences. Likewise, when groundcover that grows well in a shady place, or a border pachysandra 1999 Beatrice F silverly stems, gray-green leaves, and California California Academy of Sciences birds drop seeds near © plant that likes full sun. (Pachysandra terminalis) lavender flowers for most of the year. a stream, English ivy Alternatives listed here thrive freeway daisy can take over native Full sun Grows more slowly than Vinca and in the same environments as (Osteospermum fruticosum vegetation and Part shade Hedera, but has a crisp, neat problem plants while offering bear’s foot hellebore Monrovia and hybrids) Produces copious © degrade wildlife Full shade growth form. New foliage is bright Jerusalem sage Botanical Botanical Garden added benefits such as cheerful flowers, even under the Courtesy Missouri green, changing to dark with age. (Helleborus foetidus) habitat. Drought tolerant (Phlomis fruticosa) attracting wildlife. Many of harshest conditions. Grows well Variegated cultivars are available. Unusual foliage and delicate, Botanical Botanical Garden Courtesy Courtesy Missouri A dependable, silvery-leafed shrub with these alternatives are readily Low water complex flowers. The intriguing along the coast. whorls of yellow flowers that will thrive in any available, though others may Moderate water Serbian bellflower pale green and purple flowers often Photo Photo by Brianna Richardson, 2003 The The Nature Conservancy Courtesy Courtesy John Randall, be easiest to find in specialty well-drained soil. Photo Photo by Brianna Richardson, 2003 Regular water have a pleasant fragrance. English ivy destroys forest understory vegetation wall germander (Campanula poscharskyana) A dense stand of pampasgrass (Cortaderia selloana), or native plant nurseries. High water × Produces a profusion of lilac-blue, a garden plant that has invaded Californa wildlands (Teucrium chamaedrys, or T. lucidrys) 'Powis Castle' Artemisia Gardeners don't plant invasive species intentionally. This plant can be sheared into a neat groundcover or star-shaped flowers spring to fall. This handsome plant has finely divided, gray foliage that Like other Californians, gardeners have a deep respect allowed to grow to full height (about one foot), and Grows quickly and easily, but could Both native and non-native plants have been recommended as grows to 3 feet tall. Lush and quick growing, it is best Botanical Botanical Garden for our state’s rich natural heritage. The good news is overwhelm a carefully manicured Courtesy Missouri alternatives in this brochure. Care has been taken to ensure produces lavender flowers in the spring. Compact for an informal garden. that most garden plants behave perfectly well in their that none of the recommended non-natives is invasive. cultivars are available. garden. intended roles. By choosing suitable replacements for the However, plants can adapt over time, and there is no winter saxifrage St. Catherine's lace Suggested alternatives for invasive few problem plants, we can save ourselves trouble and guarantee that some of these plants will not themselves ivory star jasmine or asian jasmine become pests in the future. If you notice one of these showy dewflower (Bergenia cordifolia and hybrids) (Eriogonum giganteum) A California native, this freely garden plants of the greater expense in our garden and help to protect the natural (Trachelospermum asiaticum) alternatives invading natural areas, notify Cal-IPC. Pay close (Drosanthemum floribundum) An evergreen groundcover, with large, dark green branching, grayish-white shrub has white flowers that California landscape at the same time. Has glossy, dark green leaves and pale yellow, San Francisco Bay Area attention to plant names, since a few of our recommended A succulent with silver-gray leaves and an abundance of leaves, and clusters of bright, deep pink flowers. attract butterflies. Could overwhelm a carefully plants may have invasive relatives—even in the same genus. pinwheel-shaped flowers with a jasmine scent. pink flowers. Tolerates some salt spray. manicured garden. Shrubs Shrubs Shrubs Shrubs Shrubs Shrubs - cornelian-cherry dogwood Don’t plant: San Diego sedge CalCal IPCIPC (Carex spissa) This large sedge has a form similar pineapple guava CalCalCalifornia Invasive IPCIPC Plant Council Don’t plant: (Cornus mas) A small tree Don’t plant: to that of an ornamental grass. Produces gray leaves (Feijoa sellowiana) that produces bright yellow pampasgrass to five feet tall and yellow, grass-like flowers in the This evergreen shrub has scarlet www.cal-ipc.org flowers, which become bright (Cortaderia selloana) scarlet wisteria broom spring. and white flowers, as delicious as (510) 525-1502 red, edible berries