Chinese privet spreads easily and can be quite difficult ... More than that, they can also kill microorganisms, insects, and any beneficial worms you may have attracted to your garden.

Tough, toxic leaves are too difficult for mammals and insects to eat. Chinese privet roots also don't provide the structure to keep soil along riverbanks from eroding like native trees and shrubs do.

Hawthorn, blackthorn, guilder rose, yew, beech, native privet and field maple are great ... wood anemones and celandine to attract nectar-loving insects. Hedges make perfect nesting sites for ...