Officials ban sale of once-popular plant with harmful impacts: 'A plague'
Starting this month, Washington state will ban nurseries from selling English ivy, an aggressive, invasive vine that can prove deadly for native plants and trees.
The state's Department of Agriculture added English ivy to its noxious weed seed and plant quarantine in July, KING 5 reported. That means, starting Aug. 9, it can no longer be sold or distributed within the state.
Eighteen other species were added to the quarantine list, including Boston ivy.
"We're definitely celebrating here," Michael Feerer, founder of the nonprofit Whatcom Million Trees Project, told KING 5.
That group gathered more than 1,500 signatures on a petition to ban English ivy. Feerer said some nurseries were hesitant to support the ban, as they didn't want to lose sales, but others pulled English ivy off the shelf before the rule took effect.
English ivy, also known as Atlantic ivy, is native to Europe but has been in the United States since at least the 1970s, according to the National Invasive Species Information Center.
Like other invasive species, it spreads quickly and can outcompete native plants for resources. This allows it to choke out native trees and take over large swaths of land.
Because of its prevalence and invasive nature, garden enthusiasts across the country have waged campaigns against English ivy.
One popular social media gardener said in a video that it "blows my mind" that the plant is available for purchase in much of the U.S. Another video showed the vine taking over an old-growth fir tree, with one commenter calling English ivy "a plague."
If you have English ivy growing in your yard, experts suggest using pruning shears and cutting off a six-inch segment about one foot from the ground. This should remove the entire vine's nutrient source and prevent it from producing more seeds.
Once the ivy is gone, replacing it with native plants can make your yard easier to maintain and better for pollinators while using fewer resources.
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