Czechia compiles a catalog of alternatives to invasive plants

The Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, the Institute for Landscape Research, the UK's Coventry University and the Czech Union for Landscape and Urban Greenery have released a free catalog of invasive and problematic non-native garden plants. For each such species, it offers a safe alternative with a similar appearance — the project is called “Grow Safely — Don't Support Invasive Species.”

How gardens become a gateway for invasive plants into nature

Many non-native plants would never have reached Czech nature without human help. According to the project's authors, it's often gardens and park plantings that become the point from which such species start spreading into the surrounding area — through seeds, rhizomes, plant fragments, or improperly discarded garden waste.

“The goal is definitely not to discourage people from growing ornamental plants. We want to show that when choosing plants, it's possible to combine a garden's aesthetic value with a responsible attitude toward the surrounding nature. If there's an alternative with a similar look and similar growing requirements, there's no point in supporting a species known to carry a risk of further spread,” explains Adam Baroš of the Department of Cultural Landscape and Settlements at the Institute for Landscape Research.

The project's authors drew on successful foreign awareness campaigns — the British initiative Be Plant Wise and the Australian Grow Me Instead program — adapting their principles to Czech conditions.

The catalog doesn't just warn — it also suggests a replacement

The catalog of invasive and problematic non-native plant species is aimed at all fans of ornamental plants. It brings together species that already behave as invasive in Central Europe or have the potential to do so, and explains how to recognize them.

But the publication doesn't stop at a warning: for each problematic plant, suitable replacements with a similar appearance or comparable use have been selected, taking into account size, color, flowering period and site requirements. This lets a gardener choose an alternative that fits their design without increasing the risk of spreading invasive plants.

“A list of undesirable species alone wouldn't be enough. People need to know specifically what they can replace a problematic plant with. That's why the catalog relies on positive motivation and shows that a safer choice doesn't mean compromising on the beauty or functionality of a garden,” adds Adam Baroš.

The publication is aimed at garden owners, hobby gardeners, landscape designers, managers of public green spaces, garden center staff and municipalities. It can help both when creating new plantings and when gradually replacing plants in existing gardens and parks.

How to prevent further spread

The project's authors also offer prevention tips: garden owners should check whether the plants they grow are spreading beyond the boundaries of their property, remove the seeds and fruit of risky species in time, and never dump garden waste in nature.

“Every gardener can help protect the landscape with the purchase of just a single plant. A conscious choice is the simplest and cheapest way to prevent problems with invasive species. After all, once a plant spreads into the wild, getting rid of it can be very difficult, costly, and sometimes practically impossible,” Adam Baroš sums up.

The catalog can be downloaded for free from the project's website, “Grow Safely — Don't Support Invasive Species.” The project received support from Norway Grants and the State Environmental Fund under the Environment, Ecosystems and Climate Change program, with the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague as its main beneficiary.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz