Invasive plants are a hot topic—but what actually makes a plant invasive? And does being non-native automatically make a plant bad?

In this episode of The Compost Pile, David and Aaron dig into the difference between native, non-native, aggressive, and truly invasive plants, especially from the perspective of gardeners and homeowners in Southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast.

We talk about plants like Chinese tallow, Bradford pear, vitex, honeysuckle, torpedo grass, and more, along with some better alternatives for the landscape. We also explore a more complicated question: what happens when an invasive plant provides a benefit, such as Chinese tallow providing a major nectar source for honeybees?

The goal isn't simply to label every non-native plant as “bad.” It's  ...