Invasive plants creep quietly into North Carolina yards, then explode into nearby woods and wetlands. By learning a few key troublemakers and replacing them with tough native shrubs, vines, and groundcovers, you can protect songbirds, pollinators, and streams while still enjoying a lush, easy care landscape all year round home.
Walk through a North Carolina greenway, farm edge, or old home site and you will see it: vines swallowing pines, shrubs filling every gap, glossy groundcovers creeping right out of flowerbeds. Many of our prettiest landscape plants have jumped the fence and become invasive plant species in North Carolina. They spread into forests, wetlands, and roadsides, outcompeting the native plants that wildlife depends on.
This guide gives you a friendly, straight talking tour of some of the worst invasive plants in North Carolina and what to plant instead. If you recognize any of these in your yard, you are not alone – and you absolutely can start turning the tide.
Vines feel classic and romantic, so many invasive species were planted to soften porches and fences. Unfortunately, several now blanket trees and woodland edges across North Carolina from the mountains to the coast.
What to do: Cut and carefully peel vines from tree trunks, then dig or repeatedly cut sprouts. For large infestations, many landowners combine cutting with targeted herbicide on fresh stumps or regrowth. Replant with native climbers such as crossvine, Carolina jessamine, trumpet honeysuckle, and American wisteria, which provide nectar for pollinators without swallowing your woods.
Fast growing hedges and “bulletproof” shrubs are often exactly the ones that invade natural areas. Birds perch in them, eat the fruit, and plant new thickets everywhere they go.
What to do: Where possible, remove seed producing shrubs and trees, especially near creeks and woods. Cut large plants and treat stumps, then dig or mow sprouts. Replace with native alternatives like inkberry holly, Virginia sweetspire, oakleaf hydrangea, serviceberry, eastern redbud, yaupon holly, and sweetbay magnolia.
“Low maintenance” groundcovers are often marketed as cure all plants for shady corners. Some, however, refuse to stay put and become serious invasive plants in North Carolina landscapes.
What to do: Dig or slice out expanding mats, being sure to remove stolons and pieces of stem. Never dump yard waste with these species into woods or vacant lots. For durable, wildlife friendly groundcovers in North Carolina, try Green and Gold, foamflower, woodland phlox, native ferns, golden ragwort, or Pennsylvania sedge.
Some invasive plants are herbaceous perennials that transform entire wetlands and fields, especially in the North Carolina coastal plain.
What to do: Avoid planting any ornamental known to escape into wetlands or shorelines. For existing stands, removal usually requires a combination of digging, repeated mowing or cutting, and, on large infestations, professional herbicide treatment. Replant with native grasses and wetland plants such as switchgrass, muhly grass, soft rush, and native sedges.
It is tempting to think, “It is just one vine in my backyard, how much harm can it do?” In reality, each landscape planting can become a seed source for miles of forest and wetland when birds, wind, and water spread seeds downstream and downwind.
You do not have to clear your entire property in a weekend. Start small and make steady progress on the invasive plants you already have.
An invasive plant in North Carolina is a non native species that spreads on its own into forests, wetlands, fields, or roadsides and causes ecological or economic harm. These plants outcompete native vegetation, reduce wildlife habitat, and can change soil, water, or fire patterns.
No. Many non native ornamentals stay where they are planted and do not cause measurable harm. A plant is considered invasive only when it escapes cultivation, reproduces without help, spreads widely, and displaces native plant communities or disrupts ecosystem processes.
Frequently reported invasive plants include Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), English ivy (Hedera helix), Chinese and Japanese wisteria, Japanese and common privet (Ligustrum species), Bradford or Callery pear, Nandina domestica, multiflora rose, Japanese spirea, Vinca species, autumn olive, and purple loosestrife. Local priority lists vary by region.
Most invasive plants support far fewer insects than native species, so birds and bats have less food. Dense thickets or mats also block sunlight from reaching native wildflowers and tree seedlings. As invasive plants spread, they reduce the diversity of plants and animals that can live in an area.
Birds and mammals eat colorful berries and drop seeds far from the original planting. Wind and water move lightweight seeds along roadsides and streams. Gardeners can unintentionally spread invasives by sharing plants, dumping yard waste in woods, or moving contaminated soil or mulch.
Effective control usually combines several tactics: hand pulling young plants, digging out roots, cutting stems repeatedly to exhaust reserves, and, where appropriate, applying targeted herbicide to cut stumps or regrowth. Follow up for several years, because many invasive plants resprout and have long lived seed banks.
It is better to prioritize. Start with species that produce abundant berries or wind blown seed, and with plants that are already climbing into tree canopies. Removing these first reduces future spread while you gradually tackle larger or older patches that require more effort.
For hedges and screens, use yaupon holly, inkberry, wax myrtle, American holly, or Virginia sweetspire. For vines, choose trumpet honeysuckle, Carolina jessamine, crossvine, or American wisteria. For groundcovers, try Green and Gold, foamflower, woodland phlox, native ferns, and shade tolerant sedges or grasses.
Do not dump invasive plant material in woods, vacant lots, or near streams. Bag fruits and seeds and place them in household trash. Woody stems can be chipped or burned if allowed locally. Roots, rhizomes, and easily rerooting vines should be dried thoroughly or securely landfilled.
After removal, immediately replant the site with native or non invasive species to shade soil and compete with seedlings. Maintain a mulch layer, inspect the area several times a year, and pull or spot treat any new sprouts before they flower or fruit. Consistent follow up is essential.
Updated: November 2025 • Reviewed by Gardenia Editors
123rf
Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.
Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
Join now and start creating your dream garden!
Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.
Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.
Join now and start creating your dream garden!
