Kudzu is horrifying. I saw a picture of a guy on Reddit holding a partial kudzu root that was bigger than himself.

Anonymous wrote:These are the ones that are going to drive local gardeners crazy as they are so ubiquitous here: crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), Mahonia (Mahonia bealei), heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii).

I regret our crepe myrtle as I am constantly fighting the volunteers all over the yard. Prior owner also planted mahonia and it's the same -- prickly volunteers everywhere.

I never saw heavenly bamboo before I loved outside of the Beltway. The flowers threw me for a loop.

Anonymous wrote:Knotweed is the worst.

I’ve seen so many varieties of knotweed this summer. I reported it to MCPS hoping the groundskeepers would yank it. Nope. It’s flourishing all over Silver Spring campuses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stiltgrass is the bane of my existence.

Super easy to control. It's an annual, so put out your preemergent of choice when the forsythia bloom.

Can you please explain this in plain English for those not familiar with gardening?

DP. Forsythia bloom in early spring, which is when plants and weeds start to wake up from their winter slumber. Use of a preventative herbicide (preemergent) at that time will suppress the growth more effectively then trying to control weeds once they are fully established.
Stiltgrass is easy to pull out especially after a soaking rain. I’ve been able to control it in my yard with diligent hand weeding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stiltgrass is the bane of my existence.

Super easy to control. It's an annual, so put out your preemergent of choice when the forsythia bloom.

Can you please explain this in plain English for those not familiar with gardening?

Anonymous wrote:Nothing is more aggressive than the kudzu.

with all its invasive vine cousins. They are actually the worst because they literally kill the trees and make beautiful woods around DC look like jungles in the summer and apocalyptic hellscape in the winter. It's a disaster and severely neglected. Trees weakened by vines wrapping around their trunks and branches fall on the roads and power lines. And nobody cares, it's been way too many years of neglect. How is removal of invasives still relying purely on volunteers when it's public roads and power lines getting threatened?

Anonymous wrote:Stiltgrass is the bane of my existence.

Super easy to control. It's an annual, so put out your preemergent of choice when the forsythia bloom.

Read about the fungus from China that was being smuggled in?

Ruins wheat crops and can kill anyone who eats food made from the affected crops by ruining their livers.

I enjoyed this article, especially the premise that suppression is more realistic and the importance of introducing North American natives as climate changes. This makes sense. Now, I need to figure out what southern and western natives might do well in these increasingly hot summers.

I plan to rip the barberry and crape myrtles out at my new house.

Stiltgrass is the bane of my existence.

Nothing is more aggressive than the kudzu.

These are the ones that are going to drive local gardeners crazy as they are so ubiquitous here: crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), Mahonia (Mahonia bealei), heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii).

I regret our crepe myrtle as I am constantly fighting the volunteers all over the yard. Prior owner also planted mahonia and it's the same -- prickly volunteers everywhere.

Knotweed is the worst.

Article (gift link) about what may be the next invasives:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/realestate/gardening-invasive-plants-species.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UE8.5LeA.Ff_QLwysipz5&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare