Oregon is a gardener’s dream. Our varied climates and mild conditions allow us to showcase a wide variety of plants from around the world. In fact, nursery crops are Oregon’s number one agricultural commodity.
Unfortunately, a few plants used in gardens and landscapes cause serious ecological harm by ‘jumping the fence’ and spreading elsewhere. These invasive plants can become serious problems that threaten water quality, wildlife and our economy by crowding out native plants, changing stream flows, increasing erosion, competing with crops or creating fire hazards.
This guide offers gardeners and landscape designers many choices of plants that work for gardens while protecting the health and beauty of Oregon’s natural lands and waters. We highlight plants that should be avoided because they are invasive, and offer non-invasive alternatives (both natives and non-native ornamentals) that you can safely plant instead. We hope you will use this booklet as a guide to help you make the most informed choices for your garden, water garden or landscape.
Enjoy your garden!
Native (indigenous) plant: Present in the Pacific Northwest historically prior
to European-American settlement.
Non-native (exotic, alien, introduced) plant: Brought to the Pacific
Northwest by humans either deliberately or by accident.
Invasive plant: Thrives and spreads aggressively outside its natural range.
Ornamental plant: A non-native plant commonly sold and available
in garden centers.
Weed: Casual term used for any plant that is undesirable in a given location.
Noxious weed: Plant listed by the state as “noxious” because it is harmful to
agriculture, water resources or human health.
Regions of concern: Areas within Oregon where the plant is known to have
invasive tendencies, or has a high probability of becoming invasive.
View the complete GardenSmart Guide as well flip through the table of contents.
