Gardener sparks concern after purchasing potentially mislabeled plant with destructive features: 'A noxious weed'

For the home gardener, nothing is as exciting as bringing home new plants from the nursery to install in their yard. But for one gardener in Pennsylvania, that excitement turned into disappointment as time passed, and they suspected something was wrong.

They posted photos of the plants in question on the subreddit r/NativePlantGardening.

"I purchased a bunch of plants from a local native nursery and I'm pretty sure they were mislabeled. What is supposed to be cardinal flower has not grown much," they wrote. "The 'summer phlox' has started to take off and flower. Plugging it into iNaturalist, it is identified as a type of dayflower. Can anyone confirm the id of these plants, and if not what they were labeled as, are they native to Western PA?"

Commenters quickly jumped in to help. "The cardinal flower is correct and will flower next year," one person shared. "The second pic is of Asiatic dayflower, a noxious weed. Pull it out and do not compost it!"

Another commenter, looking closely at the photos, wrote: "Looks like your phlox had a bit of dayflower in the pot. I think I see phlox leaves on the left side of your photo. Try pulling the viny flowering stems out, and see if you have an upright part with longer leaves."

Fortunately, when the original poster did this, they reported back that the phlox was "still kicking." 

One person shared that one reason for this confusion is that "most people do not realize that most natives don't flower in their first year."

So if you've installed some native plants in your yard and have yet to see blooms, don't fret. Even when they haven't flowered, these native species are beneficial to a yard's local ecosystem and soils.

Native plant species are both easier to grow and cheaper to maintain than non-native species, according to Penn State University. More efficient water use means lower water bills, and not needing to mow means reducing both noise and air pollution from gas-powered mowers. 

Not only are natives like this better for the home gardener, but they're better for all the animals and other plants that live in the area. 

For tips and advice on how to rewild your own yard, check out TCD's detailed guide.

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