Members of the General Assembly are considering legislation aimed at cracking down on invasive plants.
Anyone who's had to go after English Ivy knows how invasive plants can be a mess. That's why environmental groups are supporting a bill that would require signs at garden centers and plant nurseries warning customers about invasive plants, although the House and the Senate have different ideas about where the signs should be located.
Chris Lehan is with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters.
"Having a sign at the front of the store where you go, ‘Hey, I need to be on the lookout for an invasive plant.’ That's an improvement over where we are today," Lehan says. "But, what would be a better improvement and our preferred approach would be being able to walk into the store and go, ‘Oh, these are the ones that I have to worry about."
Brad Copenhaver represents the Virginia Landscape and Nursery Association.
"With a sign being required in proximity or by each display or by each plant, that could change almost daily, especially in certain seasons at a store," Copenhaver says. "And so, to have one sign at every entrance we think is much more workable for the folks who run these centers."
Delegates and Senators are likely to work out their differences on where the signs should be located in a secret closed-door conference committee.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
