Program: Live and Zoom: Invasive Plants in Indiana – The Harm and the Response

Speaker: Laura Graf, accredited horticulturist, licensed nursery dealer, PlantRight certified installer, owner/operator LGI Landscaping LLC, Indianapolis

Introduced By: Judy Weitzman  

Attendance: NESC: 107, Zoom: 27

Guest(s): Norma Wallman, Pilar Morera, Pat Lawler, Pat Wolfla, Erica Wilkinsen, Valorie and Mark Degler

Scribe: Alan Schmidt

Editor: Ed Nitka

View a Zoom recording of this talk at: Today's Program 110424

Laura is a talented landscape artist and horticulturist. She is passionate about the genuine harm caused by invasive plants in Indiana. 

An invasive plant is a non-native plant that harms the environment, economy, human, animal, or plant health. The Terrestrial Plant Rule (312 IAC 18-3-25) designates 44 species of plants as invasive pests. This rule makes it illegal to sell, gift, barter, exchange, distribute, transport, or introduce these plants in the state of Indiana.

Her presentation taught us how to identify invaders and effectively eliminate them. She focused on four invasive plants currently in Indiana: Asian bush honeysuckle, Bradford/Callery pear tree, burning bush, and wintercreeper Euonymus. The Department of Natural Resources has the full list of 44 invasive species. To identify it, the invasive honeysuckle has a hollow stem. In recent years the burning bushes, that some enjoy in their yards and can still be bought in nurseries, have migrated to other locations such as the edges of woods and along the roads. Bradford pear trees tend to have branches break and the trees split from wind and ice storms. Bradford pear trees can be cut down and the stump treated with a herbicide such as RTU to prevent regeneration.

An invasive species impacts an ecosystem by spreading prolifically and harmfully. It can cause extinction of native plants and trees, reduce biodiversity, compete with native organisms for limited resources, alternative habitats, and can cause soil degradation and erosion.

An alternative to Asian bush honeysuckle is silky dogwood, arrowwood viburnum, and common witch hazel. Alternatives to the Bradford pear are service berry with its tasty berries, dogwood, eastern redbud, and white fringe tree. Burning bush alternatives are red chokeberry, Virginia sweet spire, and oakleaf hydrangea.  Wintercreeper alternatives are Christmas fern, common wood sedge, and wild ginger.

                Laura Graf