New York Man Instructed to Burn Forbidden Shrubs in Yard

After living in my home for over 25 years I was told that the plants in my front yard were forbidden and I needed to immediately burn them to the ground.

Imagine waking up one day to find out that your landscaping was forbidden in New York State. That's what happened to me after I discovered that the bushes in front of my home were on a list of banned plants.

According to a recent study by Lawn Love, New York is ranked second in the country when it comes to invasive plants and species. There are currently 50 terrestrial plants that are strictly forbidden by state officials, which means you can't purchase or plant them anywhere in New York. Among them are the bushes sitting in front of my house.

Forbidden Plants Discovered in Hudson Valley Yard

Over two decades ago my wife and I were looking for a cheap and easy solution for our front yard landscaping. Our attempts at planting bushes were thwarted by hungry deer and our lack of a green thumb, leaving our home looking pretty pathetic.

One fall evening we were driving past a local nursery and saw a sign advertising a plant sale. We dug through the piles of potted shrubbery and found dozens of bushes that were labeled "deer resistant". These beautiful, red-leafed plants had sharp spikes on their branches to protect them from predators. We were told that the bushes were very resilient and would grow in almost any condition. After seeing that they were just a few bucks each, we were sold and brought them home to plant in our yard.

Invasive Bushes Need to be Burned to the Ground

Over the past two decades, those tiny bushes have grown into a beautiful hedge in front of our home. Their green leaves turn a striking shade of red in the fall and have continued to keep the deer away. The branches tend to grow very quickly, so several times a year we trim them back and keep them well manicured so they don't get too tall. The leaves perfectly hold Christmas lights in the winter and look great no matter if we've had a long drought or flooding rain.

So you can imagine our surprise when we were told that our beloved bushes were a forbidden species and needed to be destroyed immediately.

Japanese Barberry Are Forbidden in New York State

Looking back, it appears the reason we got such a good deal on those bushes was that they needed to be sold ahead of a new law that would make them illegal in New York. Years ago, Japanese Barberry was added to the invasive species list because of how quickly they can grow in the wild, choking out other plants and even promoting the growth of black-legged ticks which can spread Lyme disease.

Agricultural experts warn that just cutting back Japanese barberry bushes isn't enough to stop them from taking over the ecosystem. Either their roots must be completely unearthed and removed, leaves doused in chemicals that will kill the entire plant or burned by torch to the ground.

While this sounds extreme, experts say it's the only way to stop this plant from taking over the ecosystem. Interestingly enough, I have noticed several Japanese barberry bushes now growing in the wild next to our home, most likely propagated by the shrubs in front of our home.

Do You Need to Destroy Invasive Plants in Your Yard?

While we've been instructed to destroy our forbidden bushes by some very environmentally conscious people, it turns out that we are under no legal obligation to do so. While New York State has forbidden the sale or planting of the Japanese barberry, plants that are already growing in your yard are grandfathered in.

We have decided, however, to eradicate the wild Japanese barberry that has spread around our property and will be extra cautious when it comes to trimming and maintaining these dangerous plants. The bush was put on the prohibited plant list for a reason, and while we haven't even considered the idea of torching our landscaping to the ground, we certainly don't want to do anything that would mess up New York's ecosystem.

Good News for Japanese Barberry Lovers

If you happen to see a barberry bush at your local garden center there's no need to call the police. Most likely, it's a new variety that isn't a danger to the ecological balance and is perfectly safe to plant in front of your house.

While the barberry bushes in front of our yard can no longer legally be sold, botanists have bred a new variety of this beautiful plant that does not repopulate. The infertile Japanese barberry has no seeds, so it cannot spread like the ones that are on the forbidden species list.