It was after Don read my July 30th post,
Just Don't Do Nothing that he reached out to me suggesting that I write a piece on removing invasive plants. Now Don, understanding our shared concern over invasive plants, has told me a few times about how his wife under her own labor, had taken it upon herself to remove all of the invasive plants from their property; and I suppose that like most people who hear about such accomplishments, I realized that my measuring stick didn't quite go the distance.
Twice upon my request this summer, Beth dropped by the house to help me to dream. On the second occasion she brought with her a sack of beautiful peaches which she had grown in her own yard. I decided to save them for a special occasion which admittedly, almost put them into the compost! I decided that we were special enough and made them into peach sauce. Could you imagine in your wildest dreams growing peaches right here in Vernon?
Yes, measuring sticks often do come up short when we insist on using them in ways they weren't intended to be used.
I often run into boundless confusion when I toss out terms like; ornamental, native and invasive plants. Would it surprise readers to learn that peaches are native to China? Even so, peaches can be grown in warmer areas of Vermont, like the Champlain Valley and the lower Connecticut River Valley. According to
Vermont Public there are two varieties of peaches that do better in this, their northern most growing zone. In their article, they describe these non-native peaches grown in Vermont as "local" fruit. The article goes on to provide ways to create a micro climate and suggests planting both varieties to increase the chances of success. My hope that it's becoming clearer as to how it is that people become so confused with terminology. Please allow me to help that process along.
Invasive Oriental Bittersweet
When we first moved to Vernon, it became immediately clear that the previous owners of our property had a love affair with landscaping tarp. The entire perimeter of the property was covered in long continuous tarp that was 8 to 10 feet wide. Additionally, extensive plantings throughout the property were planted in holes that they had cut in the center of more tarps. Not understanding the war that was being waged, Wayne and I set out to pull up as much of the nuisance material as possible. I mention what was possible, because in some areas of the property, tree roots and the like had grown both above and below the tarp. The whole affair was a cursed mess.
It was only in pulling up that tarp that I began first hand to garner what is meant by invasive.
A native plant or animal is one that co-evolved with plants within a particular ecosystem over hundreds and even thousands of years.
A non-native plant or animal that escapes unchecked into the surrounding area and causes an imbalance is considered invasive.
Remember Beth's peaches that originated in China? They were brought to the US where horticulturists developed cold tolerant varieties. If peach trees multiplied throughout Vernon in the same way that Oriental Bittersweet does, then they too would be declared an invasive plant. Because in Vermont, peaches do not readily propagate and escape into other areas, they are not considered invasive. A non-native plant that stays relatively put is an exotic plant. An ornamental plant is a plant that is cultivated for its esthetic value as opposed to its fruit.
In VT, one of the things that limits a plants viability is the subfreezing temperatures we experience here in growing zones 5a and 5b. As winters become warmer, plants that were kept from propagating in this range by freezing temperatures will move into it and survive.
Clearly, I have gotten lost in the weeds trying to sort out this bramble. If this sort of thing is where your passion lies, please
visit this site created by the USDA. For the rest of us, let's move on to Don's request.
Don's request:
As much as it pained me to do so, this summer I took on the very same shrub honeysuckle that I transplanted fifteen years ago in order to create a hedge along the roadside. Once we began to take up the tarp, I started to notice a hearty little shrub sprouting up in the most difficult growing areas. Being no fool, I started to dig and rehome these robust volunteers. I dutifully cared for them as they quickly grew to more than twelve feet in height! So pleased was I with the result, that I planted two more out front for good measure! Over the years it became more difficult to keep them back from the road; but the flowers were heavenly and the critters seemed to enjoy them. With the honeysuckles however, came the horrid Oriental Bittersweet vines which consumed my Autumn months with their untangling and pulling from the honeysuckle's branches and every other plant on the property.
Native Virginia Creeper
Sometimes procrastination comes from an unwillingness to accept what is right in front of you. When Laura stopped me one afternoon to ask about my perfect shrub, I was finally forced to come clean about
Shrub Honeysuckle and recommended that she avoid them. My embarrassment at having been outed, caused me to finally take action albeit halfheartedly at first.
It was at the end of June that I took my loppers from the shed, cut off every lead and drug the dismantled shrub out front to the brush pile. By the time August rolled around I had a brand new bush.
I decided that I needed a better motivator to complete the task, so I took a couple of weeks to decide on a replacement shrub. Once discovering
Clethra commonly known as Summersweet I was out of excuses.
Every invasive plant requires its own process to remove it and a good place to find the plan that is right for you is at
Vermont Invasives. Because I was also dealing with Oriental Bittersweet and Virginia Creeper, I settled on using the dauber method. I also decided to not wait until autumn as recommended because we are in severe drought conditions and this area would otherwise be damp. Autumn application is typically done as this is when the plants are transferring nutrients to their root system.
Prior to using a "Buckthorn Blaster" I had never used herbicide on my property. I decided to use it because all other efforts I had tried over the years such as hand pulling, removing limbs, digging up stumps, and covering the stumps had failed to get rid of our Bittersweet. I ordered a fillable bingo dauber online and bought glyphosate locally. I applied a solution of glyphosate and water with the dauber. I am not going to tell you more about how to do this method, because it is super important that you watch and closely follow Forester Tapper's video.
After checking the sight to make sure that it was thoroughly dry and ensuring that no rain was forecasted, I used my bucksaw to cut down the honeysuckle. As I completed each bush, I applied the herbicide as directed by Forester Tapper, to the wound. After thoroughly clearing the area of branches, I used my bypass pruners to cut each and every vine and applying herbicide as directed by Forester Tapper directly to the wound. Removing branches is essential as some invasive plants can root from cut branches. It took me several days to complete this process.
Pro tip, choose tools with bright colors so that you can find them! This tip saves on lawnmower blades.
Though it was difficult to tell this August, my readers may remember that last Autumn I removed every other honeysuckle from this same hedge. It's also worth mentioning, that once I removed the large honeysuckle shrubs this time around, I discovered among the vines, more honeysuckle starts and a considerable number of small Burning Bushes. Now Wayne removed all but two Burning Bushes from a long hedge in our backyard years ago. We have been controlling regrowth in that site by mowing. The Burning Bush was happily growing under the honeysuckle and had spread to that site by seed transported there by wildlife. I had apparently discovered the preferred location for wildlife to digest berries and pass seeds.
After cutting and applying the targeted herbicide, I waited 24 hours before planting the native Summersweet shrubs. I made sure to directly water only the new shrubs and not the surrounding area. The waiting time for planting is typically 24 to 72 hours depending on what you are planting on the site. It's important that you read the label on the herbicide.
Because I cannot know if I was completely effective in killing every root and because seeds can remain viable for multiple years, I covered the entire area with a thick layer of mulch hay. I did this in an effort to block sunlight. My plan is to continue inspecting the site for invasive plants peaking through the layer of mulch for the next few years. Even so, my success will be limited as long as seeds are transported to the area. This is why it is all the more impressive that Don and his wife have successfully removed all of the invasive plants on their property.
If you have a story to tell about how you addressed invasive plants on your land or any other encounter with nature in Vernon, I welcome you to become a guest blogger. You can do this by emailing Nature Finds at eaglestailvt@gmail.com I accept all perspectives and opinions as I truly do want to know, What Are You Seeing Out There? -Norma Manning
Addendum: Vernon resident Jodi Shipee responded to my less than flattering mention of Virginia Creeper Jodi wrote in part "While some consider it troublesome...Virginia Creeper is a native plant. No need to waste your precious time removing it. (finally one we don't have to battle.)"
Thank you Jodi, I have edited and clarified the post accordingly.
Further Reading:
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