March 29, 2024

Growing Like a Weed

Rehoboth Ramblings

Posted

October is a beautiful month with its colorful foliage. But as the lush greenery of summer eventually turns brown, it’s time to reflect on all the plants that are taking over our woods and roadsides every summer. I’m referring to all those invasive plants creeping stealthily into the yard from the woods, though let’s not forget poison ivy, a particularly nasty native plant that likes to take over too.

Say the phrase “invasive species” and most people will think of something horrifying like the proliferation of pythons in the Everglades, but invasive species of the plant variety are a problem too. Many people are familiar with kudzu, that Japanese vine that has practically covered anything that isn’t moving down South. But here in New England, there are several invasive plant species that are really taking over the landscape. Some of them, like purple loosestrife, are even quite attractive until they get out of hand.

Horticulture is a vast subject and one that I’m no expert on. Nor do I have any advice on how to handle invasive species. But there are now many websites on the subject. It’s easy to find out more about them, even if it’s difficult to get rid of them. Many of these plant species were originally from Asian countries – Japanese knotweed, Japanese barberry, oriental bittersweet. These plants were all imported many years ago to use as garden landscaping but soon made their escape into the wild, where they are thriving and unwanted.

Have you noticed the tall leafy plants that in late summer have pretty clusters of tiny white flowers, growing by the side of the road? That’s Japanese knotweed. If you look closely, you’ll see these plants grow on tall stalks or canes (some in our neighborhood were over 5 feet tall by the middle of May already!) You’ll also notice that nothing else is growing where knotweed has taken over, not even other weeds. Knotweed has become a real problem in some localities.

Then there are the vines. These insidious vines climb up everything they can find, twining around trees. Poison ivy also likes to climb as a vine too. Sometimes when I’m walking the dog, I’m half afraid that if she lingers too long, that oriental bittersweet vine that’s waving towards us will try to wrap itself around her. I swear you can practically see these vines growing! Note that there is an American bittersweet that is not invasive. I remember my grandmother liked to collect it every fall for its decorative red berries.

Japanese barberry was originally imported for use as hedges. This plant is not particularly attractive, though it does have hard red berries which some birds like. When you go to remove it by digging it out by the roots, you’ll need very heavy garden gloves because it is one thorny plant. Digging these plants out by the roots is about the only way to get rid of them.

Another thorny shrub that grows like a weed is the multiflora rose, which also originated in Asia. It has the redeeming quality of producing little white roses that fill the air with a sweet scent in June. However, these plants grow very tall, up to 10 or 15 feet and can be equally wide. They like to grow in dense thickets, overcoming native plants.

These are just a few of the invasive plant species out there. Fortunately, the native species that decorate our roadsides in summer and fall seemed to flourish this summer despite competition. These include plants like jewelweed with those little seedpods that are fun to pop, tall pokeweed with its dark purple (though poison) berries, and pink-flowered Joe Pye weed. Goldenrod is pretty too; they say it’s ragweed that causes the allergies.

One thing that all invasive species share, whether plant or animal, is that they are very prolific and they are hard to get rid of once established in their new home. You might say that they are the bullies of the natural world. Japanese barberry, oriental bittersweet vine, and multiflora rose are all fighting for dominance in our front yard where we lost a big old oak tree to those horrible gypsy moth caterpillars a couple of years ago, another incidence of harm done by invasive species. I think of it as the plant equivalent of Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan, those Japanese mega-monsters that are always fighting each other in the movies. At least these invasive plants aren’t monsters like all the pythons damaging the ecosystem of the Everglades. New England’s winters are too cold for that, thank God.


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