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 ravennae; Tripidium 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.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Tribune Review