The Problem With Non-Native Plants

“Privacy Factor” (by Susan Heeger, SoCal Style, Feb. 6) featured a Mar Vista residential garden of ornamental grasses. The article characterized the garden as “environmentally friendly.”

Readers should be made aware that some of the species featured, such as pampas grass and fountain grass, are non-native species that are aggressively invasive into our natural California habitats, where they displace native plants and the native wildlife that depend on them for food and shelter. While the Mar Vista garden may be in an urban area and pose little threat to natural lands, residents fortunate to live in proximity to park lands should consider using native plants.

Suzanne Goode

Associate Resource Ecologist

California Department of Parks and Recreation