Oregon Public Broadcasting

Starting Tuesday the propagation, transport or sale of 'English Ivy' and 'Scotch Broom' plants is prohibited.

As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports the Oregon Department of Agriculture is trying to stop the spread of invasive species.

The new rules came into effect at the start of the year.

But the Agriculture Department has given nurseries and stores six months to get rid of their inventories before cracking down.

Spokesman, Gary McAninch, says the prohibition includes indoor plants and floral arrangements -- even though the plants can be seen everywhere.

Gary MacAninch: "We get lost of comments from the public about the horse already being out of the barn. And really we are trying to protect those areas in Oregon where it hasn't spread to yet. If you look at ivy it seems to me to be a fairly urban phenomenon."

He says rural Oregon remains relatively free of ivy and scotch broom.

Still, the ban doesn't force people to rip the plants out of their yards.

The department is also banning the sale of traditional butterfly bushes. But MacAninch says, gardeners will be able to buy a new hybrid butterfly bush that is essentially seedless.