A big-box garden center got caught selling a highly invasive plant species to unsuspecting customers in a Facebook video posted by gardening expert Nan Sterman, also known as the Waterwise Gardener.
“DO NOT BUY THESE PLANTS,” urged Sterman in a post accompanying the video. “I saw these at Home Depot yesterday. This is the plant whose common name is ‘broom.’ And while it’s beautiful and fragrant it is a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE invasive plant in our region.”
Sterman’s video showed a display of plants labeled as Cytisus racemosus for sale in 5-gallon buckets. As the California-based Sterman noted, the species is commonly known as “sweet broom.”
“Pretty but destructive,” said Sterman in the video.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has rated the environmental impact of sweet broom as “high” due to its potential effects on local species.
“The pest could have a significant environmental impact such as lowering biodiversity, disrupting natural communities, or changing ecosystem processes,” the CDFA determined.
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Further, it concluded that sweet broom “could impact threatened or endangered species by disrupting local habitats.”
Invasive plants cause these problems and more by outcompeting native species, which changes local ecosystems, upsetting their delicate balance.
As Sterman explained, when sweet broom displaces native plants, “native animals have nowhere to live, native butterflies have nowhere to go, and ultimately the entire native habitat is destroyed.”
Users took to the comments to express their dismay.
“I contacted HD Customer Service to register my ‘concern’ that they are selling this highly invasive species,” shared one poster.
“Thanks for the heads up!” chimed in another. “I had no idea.”
To combat the spread and impact of invasive species, concerned individuals can plant more native species in their home gardens. Not only can this benefit pollinators and other wildlife, but planting a natural lawn or rewilding your yard can benefit both the local ecosystem and your budget by reducing water use, too.
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