Well, Sean, it's exciting to have you here and to be able to just talk about what we can replace these invasive plants with that are either native or non-invasives.

>>Yeah, thanks for having me.

We have one of our main offenders up first that we wanted to talk about.

>>Yes.

>>This is Callery pear, and we still see this all over the place.

>>Yes.

>>You know, people have Bradford pears.

They might have moved into a house and didn't really think about how bad this tree was, but these are just awful because not only do they seed everywhere and clog up our highways and our natural areas and disturbed areas, but also they split and fall down and ruin your own home landscape.

So instead we brought some serviceberry, and this is a wonderful small tree or a large shrub that, you know, a homeowner could plant.

And this makes what's called juneberries.

>>Yes.

>>So they're actually edible.

Good for birds, good for people.

And you know, it's just a much better use because a lot of times the Bradford pears, they get so big and then they fall over and this stays a much nicer size.

>>It's also one of my favorite plants.

What else do we have though, because this is a wonderful way of saying, "Hey, let's take this tree down, but let's put this tree up instead."

>>Exactly.

>>Yes.

>>We really want, you know, people to be able to plant something good for the environment.

>>Exactly.

>>So, the bad and the next baddie that we have on the list, this is English ivy.

>>Yes.

>>We all know English ivy.

I'm just gonna put this over here.

>>Right.

(laughs) >>But instead we have crossvine.

This is Bignonia and it forms these, like, lovely kind of orangy brown flowers, which is not a color that you see very often.

So that's- >>But it's beautiful.

It's beautiful.

>>Yeah, exactly.

Just really voluminous bushy vine.

And you know what this, it makes a great replacement.

You can use it to climb on things just like you would English ivy.

>>It's also evergreen, like English ivy.

>>Exactly.

>>People need to understand that so it can run on the ground.

>>Yeah, and we don't have a lot of evergreen vines really in, you know, our native fauna.

>>Right.

>>Another thing that I know a lot of people still have, this is Chinese privet over here.

>>Yes.

>>This is an old timey garden plant.

A lot of people have these really tight privet hedges and it's, you know, a really distinct kind of look.

But it's needs to be left in the past where it belongs.

>>Yes.

Yes.

>>If you see this fruit right here, this is really, really appetizing to birds because it resembles holly fruit.

So they eat it.

They go.

They give it to your neighbors.

They give it to the people down the street.

And then this stuff just gets everywhere and crowds everything out.

>>Yes.

So what can we replace it with?

>>Well, first, I- >>Oh.

(laughs) Yes.

>>I wanna bring out this other privet.

>>Yes.

(laughing) >>That really is much more common in our landscapes today and is really just as bad.

I pulled this off of a roadside this afternoon where it just covered the whole edge of the woods.

And you can see this fruit is very much similar to that.

You know, it forms the same appetizing fruit, but this is another kind of Ligustrum that's very closely related to the Chinese privet.

>>Yes.

Equally as destructive.

>>Instead, what can go in our home landscapes, this is yaupon holly.

>>Ah, yes.

>>Ilex vomitoria, so named because when, you know, the settlers witnessed the natives, they were drinking the stuff and puking.

And so I think that's a cool story.

>>Yes.

It is.

>>But this- >>Excellent name.

>>Yeah, it's also the only caffeinated plant in North America.

>>Yes.

>>Interestingly.

>>Interesting.

And deer do not touch it.

>>Deer don't touch it.

It can either be a large shrub or a very small dwarf shrub.

And people really want their little green balls.

And this is a great plant where you can still have that and you're planting a native too.

>>Agreed, agreed.

Moving right along.

We've got one that people really love for the fragrance and then they use the berries for jams and such.

So, what do we say about this one?

>>This is autumn olive.

And you can see these really pretty undersides of the leaves.

And then just look at 'em and then don't plant it in your yard.

Because this stuff forms impenetrable thickets.

This branch was growing kind of upside down when I cut it also off the roadside this afternoon.

>>So aggressive, so invasive.

>>It's awful.

>>But we have this wonderful substitute.

>>Bayberry.

This is Bayberry.

>>Yeah.

>>If you crush it, it smells great.

I like to put the leaves in my work boots to be honest with you.

(both laughing) But, you know, this is another plant that, like, forms little berries that birds can eat and it's good for the food web and good for all kinds of our native critters.

This one also has nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots, which is really great to support all kinds of native wildlife.

And they can get kind of large or you can keep 'em kind of small.

>>Yes.

>>You know.

As long as you're taking care of it, it will take care of you.

>>Exactly.

Takes a lot of abuse.

This is one of my least favorites.

>>I see you handling it very gingerly.

>>Yes.

Very gingerly.

>>Peggy did pull a barberry thorn out of her- >>Finger earlier.

(laughs) >>of her hand (laughs) just a second ago.

This is Japanese barberry, still a really common garden plant.

And, you know, it spreads to disturbed areas fairly easily.

And so we're just gonna forget about this and put this back in the past where it belongs.

>>Correct.

>>And instead we're gonna plant loropetalum.

And you know what, we don't have necessarily a nice tidy, perfect native plant, but loropetalum, non-invasive.

>>Non-invasive.

>>You know, it doesn't- >>Not aggressive.

>>Not aggressive.

Doesn't spread.

Deer don't eat it.

If you want a couple of these in your yard to keep a nice formal look, that's okay.

>>Yes.

>>And then you put your crazy native plants where they belong.

>>And this is purple daydream.

>>This is purple.

>>Now, we have seconds, Sean.

So let's talk about... >>Okay.

This is miscanthus.

>>Seconds.

>>It is no good anymore.

>>Instead- >>Yes, it's a grass that's just too much.

>>Too much.

>>And it's actually invading the woodlands, so.

>>Yes.

So instead we're gonna plant Panicum.

>>Yeah.

>>This one is Cloud Nine, and it is just so pretty.

That's always- >>Such a pretty switchgrass.

>>Yeah.

>>So pretty.

Now, I know we have more to talk about, but unfortunately we're out of time, so.

>>C'est la vie.

>>C'est la vie.

>>Well, thank you.

>>Thank you.