INVASIVE PLANTS
Priority Invasives in Laurel Park
How it grows, how to recognize it, and when and how to manage it.
IMPORTANT - Invasive plant management is not one-size-fits-all. The right approach depends on the specific plant, the site conditions, the growth stage, and the time of year. What works well in one situation may be ineffective—or even counterproductive—in another.
Rather than publishing our own management recommendations, which can change as research evolves, we link directly to guidance developed by state and federal agencies. These organizations are the source of current, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated information. By directing you to those sources, we ensure you are reaching the most up-to-date recommendations available.
The most problematic invasive plants in our area—with identification and management resources—are listed below.
Management of invasive plants is very specific to the site, the growth stage, and the time of year. If you are unsure how to proceed, please reach out through our Contact page.
SELECT A SPECIES
Japanese Knotweed
Reynoutria japonica · perennial, spread by rhizome fragments, stem cuttings, minimal spread by seed.
Knotweed forms dense stands of hollow, bamboo-like stems that shade out everything beneath them and are notoriously difficult to remove once established. It re-sprouts readily from small fragments of foliage or rhizome, which is why the usual instinct — dig it out or mow it down — makes the problem worse rather than better. In our area, Knotweed foliage dies after a killing frost, but the underground rhizomes remain viable. New growth appears from the underground rhizomes as early as mid-March. Flowering starts in mid summer.
CONTROL TIMING & METHODS
Digging and mowing are not recommended; both fragment the rhizome and stems, spreading the infestation. Target the root system instead, using foliar herbicide, with late summer to early fall applications being the most effective as the plant moves energy into its roots. Expect to follow up over multiple seasons, and dispose of all cut material properly — never compost it or set it out at the curb.
See NC Extension Service (Henderson County Office) publication Invasive Plant Alert - Japanese Knotweed
See photos at our Photo Guide to aid in identification and at FSUS .
Japanese Knotweed flowering in late summer. Laurel Park, NC.
Kudzu
Pueraria montana · perennial vine, regrows from its root crown or fragments of root crown. Nodes on vines can root in soil, forming a new plant.
Kudzu climbs and blankets whatever it reaches, and a mature infestation can bury standing trees under its own weight. Unlike knotweed, it does not spread from scattered root fragments — it regrows from the root crown, and its real spread risk is vine layering, where nodes root wherever a cut vine touches soil. Most Kudzu foliage fades away with a killing frost, with hew growth in early spring. Flowering begins in late summer.
CONTROL TIMING & METHODS
Because the crown is the target, mechanical removal can work on young or isolated plants when the entire crown is taken out. On established patches, cut the vines back and follow with a foliar or cut-stem herbicide application on the exposed cut area, close to the soil. Check that cut vines are not left lying on soil where the nodes can root, and monitor the site for several seasons. Also, care must be taken not to fragment the crown root, or fragments can re-infest.
See NC Extension Service (Madison Center Office) publication On the Lookout for Non-Native Invasive Plants: Kudzu
See photos at our Photo Guide to aid in identification and on FSUS .
Kudzu Flowering in Late Summer
English Ivy
Hedera helix · perennial, roots wherever stems touch soil
Still widely sold as a groundcover, English ivy does two kinds of damage. On the ground it forms a dense mat that excludes native ground-layer plants and tree seedlings. When it climbs, it adds weight and wind resistance to a tree while shading the bark, stressing the host and eventually killing it. English ivy is one of the few evergreen invasives in our area. It is visible throughout the year.
CONTROL TIMING & METHODS
Start with the climbing vines. Cut a clear band around the trunk at chest height and again at the base, then leave the upper growth to die in place rather than pulling it down and stripping bark. On the ground, pull or cut and treat the cut stems, working outward from the edges of the patch. Because ivy roots at every point where a stem contacts soil, success depends on repeat visits rather than one clearing.
NC Extension Service has a comprehensive guide to management of English Ivy Controlling English Ivy in Urban Landscapes
See photos at our Photo Guide to aid in identification and on FSUS .
English Ivy Climbing a Tree
Oriental Bittersweet
Celastrus orbiculatus · perennial woody vine, spreads by seed or vegetatively. The most destructive of the six for mature trees. Bittersweet twines tightly around trunks and limbs, girdling them as it thickens and eventually toppling the host. Birds spread the seed widely, so new plants appear far from any existing infestation, and it also spreads by root fragments. Foliage dies in late fall, and new foliage appears in early spring. Berries start forming in late summer, and by early-mid September turn yellow to red.
Be careful not to confuse this with our native American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), a similar-looking but non-invasive species. If you're not sure which one you're looking at, ask before removing it. To help distinguish between the two species visit American Bittersweet vs Oriental Bittersweet
CONTROL TIMING & METHODS
Because it re-infests from seed, bittersweet needs a combined strategy: prevent seed set and attack the root system in the same season. Cut climbing vines to free the tree, then treat the cut stems — cutting alone triggers dense resprouting. Late summer into early fall is the effective window for foliar treatment. Expect multi-year follow-up, and watch for new bird-dispersed seedlings well away from the original patch.
NC Extension Service (Madison County Center) has a comprehensive guide on management of bittersweet On the Lookout for Non-Native Invasive Plants: Oriental Bittersweet
See photos at our Photo Guide to aid in identification and on FSUS .
Berries of O. Bittersweet - mid-September
Miscanthus (Chinese silver grass)
Miscanthus sinensis · perennial grass, spreads bu seed and rhizomes.
An ornamental grass that escaped cultivation and is still sold in garden centers. It produces heavy seed loads that carry on the wind, and the clumps expand by rhizome, so a single landscape planting can seed roadsides and open ground for years. Dry winter stands also carry fire readily. Miscanthus emerges from underground rhizomes in early spring, with flowering beginning in late summer. Green foliage turns brown in late Fall.
CONTROL TIMING & METHODS
he first priority is preventing seed set — cut the clumps before the seed heads mature. Because it also spreads by rhizome, cutting alone will not finish it: pair cutting with a foliar herbicide application targeting the root system, and treat any satellite clumps that have seeded out from the parent planting. If it is growing in your landscape as an ornamental, replacing it with a native grass ends the problem at its source.
NC Extension Service (Madison County Center) has a management guide On the Lookout for Non-Native Invasive Plants: Miscanthus
See photos at our Photo Guide to aid in identification and on FSUS .
Miscanthus Flowering in Late Summer
Japanese Stiltgrass
Microstegium vimineum · annual, seed only.
Although it is easily controlled, it has a large and expanding footprint in Laurel Park. Every plant you see grew from seed this year. It forms sprawling mats along trails, roadsides, and moist woodland floors, crowding out native ground-layer seedlings, and it thrives in exactly the disturbed, partly shaded ground that is common along Laurel Park's roads and driveways. Stiltgrass will die with the first frost, but seed in the seed bank will re-infest the area the following Spring. Germination begins in mid to late March, with emergence in April. Seed set is late September through October.
CONTROL TIMING & METHODS
Success is entirely about preventing seed set each year. Pull, mow or spray before it flowers — timing matters far more than method. Good practice is to wait until mid to late summer to allow for full emergence, then start removal of plants. Spraying with a post emergence herbicide will allow the plants to slowly decline. The resulting mat of dead vegetation “mulch” can help suppress other weeds and offers some soil stabilization on slopes.
A soil-active herbicide in late winter can also draw down the seed bank by inhibition of seed germination. Soil applications should be made before seed germination. Target soil applications in February to early March. Because seed persists in the soil for several years, repeat the same treatment on the same ground for several seasons before expecting it to stay clear.
NC Extension Service has a management guide Japanese Stiltgrass Identification and Management
See photos at our Photo Guide to aid in identification and on FSUS .
Japanese Stiltgrass in Late Summer
This site does not recommend or endorse the use of any specific herbicide product. Always read, understand, and follow all label instructions before using any herbicide