What's really going on in my head when I think about invasive plants...

... A lot of expletives. All the expletives. It's especially rage inducing when I have to deal with the usual apologetics that I hear from so many people. It's exhausting. 

This is a work in progress.
There is no instant gratification. 
Things will be in transition.

"But I want it to be green in the winter"
Ok. Maybe, use some native evergreens. We have them. Creeping juniper, moss if it's shady enough. Or get some green sculptures. Heck, get a whole rainbow assortment of artwork. But back to plants: we have some native grasses that are at least partly evergreen. Or maybe try to find beauty in the way winter happens in this eco-region as it naturally evolved. I leave everything standing until late spring which serves to both benefit the ecosystem and create a visual display that is rich in textures and patterns. It looks beautiful after a frost or freezing rain.

"But these <non-native invasive> plants look so good."
People said the same thing about Ted Bundy. I'm a style over substance kind of person, especially when maintaining an aesthetic does active harm to the world around us. It's shortsighted and negligent. Seriously. I'm an artist - I make it and I teach it. Visual interest is no stranger to me. I'm not sacrificing ecosystems for it.

"It's not invasive in my yard."
Yes it is. Your individual experience does not negate broader ecological analysis. 

"Going natural wouldn't go with the stylistic tradition of this neighborhood."
Who's tradition? Something tells me this "tradition" is an import. This is Turtle Island, so let's just octagon that Euro-centric nonsense, thanks. #landback. 

So yeah. It's intense up here in my noodle. I've been so patient the past decade and now I'm trying to use a decade's worth of anxiety and rage as fuel to conquer my enemies, both botanical and ideological. Y'all ready to join me?