Stop Planting for Curb Appeal—These 18 Plants Look Great but Do Nothing Else

Curb entreaty is a scam .

There , we say it .

You expend minute planting slick , characterization - gross ornamental that make your front yard depend like a powder store cover — but they just sit there . No nutrient . No fragrance . No pollinator . No purpose .

They ’re the decorative pillows of the plant humans : pretty , yes , but what do they actually do ? Nothing . They just stand around looking self-satisfied while your dirt starves and the bee fly by in disgust .

It ’s time to stop planting for strangers driving by at 30 miles per hour . Your garden can be more than eye candy . It can feed you . Help wildlife . aroma amazing . Heal the soil .

We ’ve rounded up the bad offenders in the beaut - with - no - brains category — and found 18 plants that see just as good but actually pull their free weight .

trench the divas . Grow something gorgeous and utile .

Boxwood

Boxwoods are a staple in many formal gardens . Their dense , evergreen foliage is perfect for mold into hedges or topiaries . Despite their visual ingathering , boxwoods propose little to biodiversity . They do n’t provide nectar or pollen , keeping pollinators at bay . what is more , their dim nature does n’t allow small animals to use them as shelter . Interestingly , boxwoods are highly susceptible to pests and disease , demand even maintenance . Their slow growth means patience is postulate if you ’re embark on from small-scale specimens . So while they might frame your garden perfectly , it ’s a one - sided relationship mainly benefiting their looks .

Bradford Pear

The Bradford Pear Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is celebrated for its spring blossom . With white flowers covering the offshoot , it ’s a picturesque summation to any pace . However , its beauty is short - inhabit . The tree is have a go at it for its decrepit structure , take a shit it vulnerable to storm damage . Moreover , Bradford Pears are invasive in many neighborhood . They spread quickly , often outcompeting aboriginal plant . Not only do they dominate landscape , but they also tender nothing to local wildlife . They may attend splendid in flush , but their environmental impact is less than ideal .

English Ivy

English Ivy exudate an old - macrocosm charm , often seen climbing historic construction . Its shiny folio and fast growth make it a go - to for spry coverage . Yet , this works is a notorious encroacher . It can croak tree , dilute their outgrowth and eventually head to their demise . Beyond its invasive nature , English Ivy does n’t sustain local wildlife . It can harbour pests and diseases , affecting other plants nearby . Its allure might imbibe you in , but the repercussion are important , making it a questionable pick for eco - conscious gardeners .

Japanese Barberry

Japanese Barberry is admired for its dramatic scarlet leafage and stocky form . It ’s often take for ornamental purposes due to its optical appeal . However , this industrial plant is more than just pretty leaves . It ’s trespassing , disseminate speedily and creating heavy brushwood that crowd together out aboriginal metal money . Moreover , barberries are a legion for ticks , raising concerns about Lyme disease . This plant may tally a plash of semblance , but its negative property outweigh its benefits . While it might enrapture the eye , its ecological footprint is problematic .

Norway Maple

Norway Maples are appreciated for their expansive canopy and refinement - gift properties . Their leaf plow a beautiful yellow in the crepuscule , lend seasonal interest . But there ’s a catch . These Tree are highly invasive , posture a scourge to native ecosystems by competing for resources . to boot , the dense tone they provide can inhibit the growth of other plants , subjugate biodiversity . They may be mighty and majestic , but their ecological impact is considerable , make them a less - than - ideal selection for nature - friendly gardens .

Privet

Privet hedges are a popular choice for creating privacy silver screen . Their dull foliage and rapid increase make them idealistic for hedging . However , privet is a twofold - edged sword . It ’s invasive , diffuse sharply and replacing aboriginal flora . Privet berries are gently toxic , baffle a risk to deary and humans . Furthermore , the works does n’t effectively support local wildlife , bid limited food or shelter . While they might serve as support fences , their bionomic downside is substantial , casting a phantasm on their ornamental purpose .

Burning Bush

The incinerate Bush dazzles with its fiery crimson leave in fall . It ’s a stopper that command attention in any landscape . However , its stunner comes with baggage . This plant is incursive , scatter quickly and outcompeting native specie for resource . In increase , the Burning Bush proffer little ecological value . It ’s not a significant food source for wildlife and can make monoculture where diversity once boom . Its ocular allurement is undeniable , but its environmental impact leaves much to be desire .

Wisteria

Wisteria ’s cascading blooms are a romantic sight , often cloak over arbors and pergolas . Its lavender flowers are visually entrancing , but wisteria can be a garden villain . It ’s notoriously invading , distribute speedily and smothering other plants . Moreover , its belligerent nature makes it unmanageable to control . It need regular pruning and can damage structures with its woody vines . Although it paint a serene picture , the sustentation and environmental costs overshadow its appeal , making it a challenging pick for gardeners .

Black Walnut Tree

The Black Walnut Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , with its grand bearing , is often valued for its shade and timber . Yet , this tree has a benighted side . It bring on a chemical called juglone , which is toxic to many plants , inhibiting their growth when in proximity . Additionally , while it leave some wildlife welfare , the challenge it stupefy to surrounding flora make it a risky garden cooperator . Its majestic height and shadowiness might tempt you , but the implications of its chemic war are significant .

Liriope

Liriope , often used as a ground cover , shoot a line spiky leaves and purple blossom spikes . It ’s favored for its low care and ability to prosper in difficult area . However , it offers piffling ecologic welfare , impart minimally to biodiversity . Its dull growth can forestall other flora from establishing , and it does n’t provide significant imagination for wildlife . While commodious for filling gaps , its utilitarian nature does n’t compensate for its lack of environmental contribution .

Weeping Cherry Tree

Weeping Cherry tree enchant with their cascade down pink bloom in saltation . They make a fairytale ambience in garden . Nonetheless , these tree are more about esthetic than ecological part . They provide limited imagination for wildlife and postulate careful sustenance to forestall diseases . Their allure is purely visual , lack the environmental benefits that more eco - friendly option could offer . While they transform gardens into picturesque scene , their trivial contributions are unmortgaged .

Nandina

Nandina , or “ celestial bamboo , ” is admire for its colorful leaf and cherry berries . It ’s a coarse choice for sum winter interest group . However , its Berry are toxic to wench , call forth concerns for wildlife . Moreover , Nandina can become invasive , spreading beyond intended bound . While it might add visual collection to your garden , its ecological drawbacks are famed . Despite its celestial moniker , its earthly impact is somewhat flawed .

Bamboo

Bamboo create an alien feeling with its towering , swaying stalk . It ’s often used for concealment and windbreak . However , bamboo is incredibly invasive , spreading rapidly and becoming difficult to contain . Its ancestor can get damage to structures and pathways , and it offer minimum welfare to local wildlife . While its immobile growth and striking show might seem appealing , its belligerent nature and upkeep challenges make it a problematical plant choice .

Russian Olive

Russian Olive is valued for its silvery leaf and fragrant yellow heyday . It ’s often used in windbreaks and for eroding control . Despite these uses , it ’s a highly incursive species , outcompeting aboriginal vegetation . Moreover , its slow growth can make dense thickets , foreshorten habitat for native wildlife . While it might solve some landscape problems , its broader ecological encroachment is concerning , wee it a controversial choice for gardeners .

Scotch Broom

Scotch Broom is known for its vibrant scandalmongering flower that brighten landscapes . It ’s used for corrosion controller and adding colouration to innocent areas . However , it ’s a ill-famed encroacher , spreading rapidly and suppressing native plants . Its dense growth create flack hazards and offers limited wildlife benefits . While its power to thrive in poor soils is admirable , the disconfirming environmental effects overshadow its decorative advantage , call its garden suitableness into question .

Mimosa Tree

Mimosa tree diagram enchant with their fern - similar leaf and fluffy pinkish blooms . They ’re often planted for their delicate beauty . Yet , they ’re trespassing , diffuse aggressively and crowding out aboriginal flora . They provide little ecological value and can be tough to manage due to their fast development and weak wood . Although they add up a tropic touch , the hidden costs to biodiversity and alimony challenge make them less appealing than they appear .

Callery Pear

Callery Pear trees burst into blossom with snowy flowers , make a spectacular springtime show . However , they portion out the same pitfall as their cousin , the Bradford Pear . Their debile Grant Wood pass water them prone to storm scathe . Additionally , they ’re incursive , spread quickly and affecting local ecosystems . While they make a stunning visual impact , their environmental consequences are famous , ponder a selection that favors appearance over substance .

Japanese Knotweed

Nipponese Knotweed may catch the eye with its lavish greenish foliage and small white flowers in former summertime . Yet , beneath this serene facade , it harbors an invasive nature . This works ’s robust ontogenesis can overmaster aboriginal species , offer small in terms of biodiversity . A rapidly spreading root system of rules can damage foundation garment and infrastructure , run to likely costly repairs . Despite its initial appeal , the bionomic imbalance it creates makes it a poor alternative for conscientious gardeners . count substitute native species that harmonize with local ecosystem , allow both beauty and home ground for wildlife , rather than choose for the Knotweed .

Stop Planting for Curb Appeal—These 18 Plants Look Great but Do Nothing Else