The industry has just launched an educational program and website for home gardeners. It’s called “PlantRight”. Terri Kempton is with the program. She says a good example of how invasive plants can take over the local landscape is “Brooms”…they’re hardy shrubs that blossom in spring. 

"They’re the yellow flowers covering the hillsides, and every time that you see one of these invasions, you know it’s a single plant that has moved into these areas, they’ve crowded out all of the native plants an animals that should be living there." 

She says half of all invasive plants came from gardens and landscaping. Those plants, she says, are capable of jumping the garden fence and taking over wild ecosystems. 

The PlantRight-dot-org website includes a regional list of invasive and alternative plants.