Virginia garden centers still selling invasive plants, survey finds

A first statewide survey found invasive plant species for sale at many Virginia retail garden centers in 2025, including several common landscaping plants. The findings bolster calls for consumer education and could support future restrictions under a new state law. Why it matters: - Invasive plants sold at retail garden centers can spread into forests, watersheds and landscapes after they are planted. - The survey’s findings add pressure for consumer education and enforcement tools aimed at reducing the commercial availability of invasive species in Virginia. - Virginia Invasive Plant Coalition says HB 109 could eventually help add highly invasive plants such as English ivy and Japanese barberry to the Virginia Noxious Weeds List and ban their sale. What happened: - Virginia Invasive Plant Coalition released results from the first annual statewide survey of invasive plants for sale at retail garden centers. - The survey ran from May 2 to Sept. 28, 2025. - Volunteers visited 86 retail garden centers in 56 communities across Virginia. - The communities ranged from Leesburg and Virginia Beach to Wise and Onancock. - Volunteers made 128 visits during the survey period. The details: - Survey volunteers compared plant botanical names with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation list. - Volunteers filled out a form when they found an invasive plant, including the garden center name, visit date, city and species. - Many volunteers also uploaded photos. - The survey evaluated 55 species and found 49 invasive plant species for sale. - The average was 5.46 invasive plant species per visit and 6 invasive plant species per location. - One location had as many as 19 invasive plant species. - The most frequently found invasive plants were butterfly bush, English ivy, nandina, periwinkle, Japanese barberry, moneywort, burning bush, greater periwinkle, Japanese spiraea and fountain grass. Between the lines: - The survey suggests invasive plants remain widely available at mainstream retail outlets despite growing concern about their environmental impacts. - Rowena Zimmerman, director of Virginia Invasive Plant Coalition, said the results reinforce the need for more consumer education and HB 109, which Governor Spanberger signed in April. - The presence of common ornamental species on the top-10 list shows how often invasive plants overlap with popular garden inventory. What’s next: - The second annual Virginia Retail Garden Center Invasive Plant Survey began in May and runs through the end of September. - The survey form is mobile-friendly and allows users to upload photos of invasive plants for sale. - Volunteers can submit findings online and learn more about the survey through Virginia Invasive Plant Coalition. - Blue Ridge PRISM says the effort will continue alongside education, training and policy work aimed at reducing invasive plant sales. The bottom line: - Virginia’s first statewide retail survey found invasive plants in many garden centers, and the coalition wants that data to drive education now and possible sales restrictions later.