Californian gardener Seed&Soil (@seedandsoil2) recently showed off just how out of hand one invasive plant can get.
"Don't ever grow morning glory, because it's gonna go everywhere," she says at the beginning of her TikTok video.
@seedandsoil2 Morning glory warning #vine #flower #zone9b #garden #frontyardgarden #california #beforeandafter #frontyard #gardening #vines #trellis ♬ original sound - 🌻 Seed&Soil 🌻
She goes on to show how this vine managed to invade her garden from a neighbor two doors down. A later video shows Seed&Soil wrestling with morning glory that has grown inside the fence between her and her immediate neighbor. By the end, she had a giant pile of the vine ready for the trash.
Invasive species are a massive problem for homeowners and ecosystems alike. When a plant or animal is put into a new environment, it's free of the checks and balances it evolved with. In its new home, it can potentially outcompete native species for vital resources like space, water, and food. Over time, this can crowd out native species, causing a decline in biodiversity and the vital ecosystem services it provides.
While that's bad news for the natural world, it also hits humanity. One estimate suggests invasive species cause hundreds of billions of dollars in economic costs annually across the world. Another study said invasives cost over a trillion dollars cumulatively in the last 50 years.
This is why planting a native garden is so much more attractive. It still offers pretty flowers without taking over the entire neighborhood. Native plants are also lower maintenance since they evolved for the local climate, which means less time and money spent watering. These plants are also well-suited to support local pollinators.
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Seed&Soil's TikTok followers were stunned by just how aggressively morning glory could take over. Some got the advice to avoid it just a little too late.
"Oh no!!! I just chaos gardened with a whole pack...or maybe even 2," said one community member.
"Watching this video with the 20+ morning glories I planted," replied another.
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