Gardening in New York comes with some surprising rules you might not expect. Not all plants are welcome, and a few popular choices are actually illegal to grow in your backyard.
Knowing what’s off-limits can save you from fines and help protect local ecosystems. Here’s a look at 10 plants you can’t legally grow in New York.
1. Japanese Barberry
This thorny shrub with red berries was once a popular ornamental choice until New York banned it for being highly invasive. The plant creates dense thickets that crowd out native vegetation and harbor ticks carrying Lyme disease.
New York gardeners caught growing this troublemaker can face fines, as it’s officially listed on the state’s prohibited species list. Its ability to thrive in varied conditions makes it particularly threatening to local ecosystems.
2. Giant Hogweed
Looking like an innocent oversized Queen Anne’s lace, this dangerous plant causes severe burns and blisters when skin contact combines with sunlight. New York actively works to eradicate this menace through special removal programs.
The Department of Environmental Conservation in New York maintains a hotline specifically for reporting giant hogweed sightings. Growing to 14 feet tall with 5-foot leaves, this toxic plant poses serious public health risks.
3. Water Hyacinth
Despite its beautiful purple blooms, water hyacinth is banned throughout New York due to its aggressive growth habit. A single plant can multiply into 50 new plants in just one growing season, choking waterways and disrupting ecosystems.
New York authorities actively monitor lakes and ponds for this floating menace. The plant depletes oxygen levels in water bodies, causing fish kills and blocking boat navigation, making it a serious threat to the state’s aquatic environments.
4. Kudzu
Often called “the vine that ate the South,” kudzu has been banned in New York to prevent it from gaining the same foothold it has in southern states. This aggressive climber can grow up to a foot per day, smothering everything in its path.
New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation actively monitors for kudzu outbreaks across the state. The plant’s ability to completely engulf trees, abandoned buildings, and even vehicles makes it particularly destructive to local landscapes.
5. Chinese Wisteria
With cascading purple flowers, Chinese wisteria looks stunning but is prohibited in many parts of New York. This woody vine can crush structures with its weight and strangle native trees as it aggressively spreads through both seeds and runners.
Gardeners across New York are encouraged to plant native American wisteria instead. The Chinese variety’s thick stems can reach 10 inches in diameter and live over 50 years, making established plants extremely difficult to remove.
6. Purple Loosestrife
The deceptively pretty purple spikes of this wetland invader earned it a spot on New York’s prohibited list. Each plant produces up to 2.7 million seeds annually, quickly transforming diverse wetlands into monocultures devoid of native plants and wildlife.
New York has implemented biological control programs using beetles that feed specifically on purple loosestrife. The plant’s impact on the state’s wetlands has been so severe that possessing, selling, or transporting it carries significant penalties.
7. Tree-of-Heaven
Despite its heavenly name, this fast-growing tree is a hellish problem across New York. Originally introduced from China as an ornamental, it’s now banned because it produces chemicals that prevent other plants from growing nearby.
New York’s battle against Tree-of-Heaven has intensified as it’s the preferred host for the destructive spotted lanternfly. The tree’s ability to grow 15 feet in a single season and produce up to 350,000 seeds annually makes it particularly difficult to control.
8. Oriental Bittersweet
The bright orange berries make this vine tempting for fall decorations, but it’s strictly prohibited throughout New York. Oriental bittersweet wraps around trees so tightly it cuts into their bark, eventually strangling and toppling even mature hardwoods.
New York conservation officers regularly find this plant sold illegally at farmers markets and craft fairs. Its berries are spread widely by birds, creating new infestations miles away from parent plants and making containment particularly challenging across the state.
9. Callery Pear
Once a popular landscaping tree in New York, the Callery pear (including the Bradford variety) is now banned in many counties. Despite its pretty spring flowers, this tree produces weak branches that break easily in storms and crowds out native species.
New York has joined neighboring states in phasing out these troublesome trees. Their prolific cross-pollination creates thorny thickets of wild pears that spread rapidly through natural areas, creating significant ecological damage throughout the Empire State.
10. Multiflora Rose
Originally planted as living fences for livestock, this thorny rose is now banned throughout New York. A single plant can produce up to a million seeds annually, while its arching canes root wherever they touch soil, creating impenetrable thorny thickets.
New York farmers particularly struggle with this invasive rose taking over pastures and cropland. The dense growth provides habitat for crop-damaging pests and disease vectors, making it both an ecological and agricultural threat across the state.