Pennsylvania Garden Centers, Landscapers Begin Phasing Out Newly Banned Plants

The latest round of plants added to Pennsylvania’s noxious weeds list reads like a directory of popular landscaping options.

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), callery or Bradford pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) and Ravenna grass (Saccharum ravennaeTripidium ravennae) have been staples of urban and particularly suburban landscaping for decades.

All three are invasive species whose seeds are readily spread by bird droppings. But the barberry is a particular problem for multiple reasons, according to plant biologists.

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