If you are a gardener or a landscaper, you may encounter a wide variety of invasive plants, such as butterfly bush, common reed, Dalmatian toadflax, English ivy, garlic mustard, giant hogweed, giant reed, hawkweeds, or kudzu. In water gardens, you may find bullfrogs, Brazilian elodea, hydrilla, or variable-leaf milfoil, among others. And trees you buy from a nursery may be a temporary home for invasive insects such as exotic apple fruit pests or various wood-boring insects.

What Can I Do?

Don’t purchase, sell, trade, plant, or release invasive species.

  • Take care not to purchase plants that are quarantined in Washington, meaning that their sale or trade is illegal. Internet sites may be based in other states without the same quarantines.
  • Ask for only non-invasive species when you acquire plants.
    • You may need to carry a list of invasive species, such as this list of species listed as noxious weeds in Washington.
    • You also can find alternatives to popular invasive species, such as the Garden Wise guidance, tailored for eastern and western Washington.
    • Remember to check the Latin (scientific) name of the plants you are buying, and to check the composition of seed packs, such as wildflower seed mixes.
  • When buying plants, particularly shrubs and trees, inspect them for any unusual insects.
  • Help educate your community by inviting invasive species experts to speak to community groups or professional associations, asking garden writers to address invasive species, or discussing the issue with other gardeners or landscapers.

Report and help eradicate invasive species and promote native and desired species.

Resources