Homeowner met with shock after discovering invasive species buried under years of growth: 'You won't be able to go in your yard'

A Reddit user unearthed something unexpected after spending more than a decade battling invasive plants. In a post to the r/Gardening subreddit, the homeowner shared photos of their yard, once completely smothered by kudzu — sometimes nicknamed "the vine that ate the South."

"We have lived here for almost 15 years and have been slowly pushing back the kudzu," they wrote. "Today we learned we have two massive rose clumps that have been living UNDER the kudzu." The homeowner then asked for tips on getting the remaining kudzu out of the roses.

Unfortunately, the battle may be far from over, as commenters noted the roses looked like multiflora rose, another invasive species native to Asia. "You don't want those roses, either," one commenter said. "They will take over like sleeping beauty's castle and you won't be able to go in your yard. Cut them down!"

Invasive species can overtake native landscapes in just one season, choking out biodiversity and even damaging infrastructure. They are notoriously hard to get rid of, costing lots of time and money. And when one invasive plant is removed, others often try to take its place.

The original poster added: "Now we have … Pokeweed and Tree of Heaven trying to move in where we killed the kudzu. If we didn't have a bear (and coyotes) I'd just get goats."

Landscaping with native plants, clover, and buffalo grass offers a range of benefits — not only can they help fight off invasive plants taking over your yard, but they require less maintenance and fewer resources like water, saving you time and money.

Rewilding your yard also creates a friendly space for pollinators, helping to protect our overall food security. Other eco-friendly landscaping techniques like xeriscaping and controlling weeds without chemicals can also slash your utility and maintenance bills.

Commenters chimed in with helpful info on the discovery. One commenter said of multiflora rose: "It's an invasive plant that's widespread across much of the US, especially the eastern US. It's invasive because it's pretty aggressive and ends up crowding out native plants and has a destabilizing effect on native woodlands and grasslands."

Another added: "At least pokeweed is native."

Others were happy to offer plenty of kudzu-busting encouragement. "Excellent work! We need more of this happening to save our native species. Thank you," one user said.

Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely 💯 It depends on the species 🤔 I don't know 🤷 No — leave nature alone 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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