Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/author/david-desiderato/)
Japanese barberry was imported to the US in the late 1800s and widely planted in landscapes, often as hedges to prevent through-passage or in problem areas where other plants did not grow. Once established, it crowds out other plants, changing soil chemistry and inhibiting forest regeneration.
This column began in 2019 with a series of Invasive of the Month columns focusing on nine of the most common, harmful, difficult-to-control invasive plants in our area. For those who didn’t laminate, frame or memorize those columns, this one restarts the series with updated information.
It’s easier than many people think to grow large numbers of native plants from seed. Now is the perfect time.
Dr. Douglas Tallamy may be doing more than anyone in our time to illuminate the crucial and imperiled interdependence of insects, birds, bees, plants, and the rest of us.
May is the number one month for gardening, and that means decisions! What to add, what to subtract, what to divide—and how to cope with the relentless multiplication of invasive plants.
This may be the last picture of the grandparent Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) at Holcomb Farm. A notable tree by any definition, three feet across, it was probably intentionally planted decades ago directly across the field from the Holcombs’ front door.
A potent team of Invasive Plant Activists (IPAs) converged on the Red Trail West at Holcomb Farm in November to continue repairing the damage borne of our love of intense fall colors (see photo).
Today, there are two kinds of gardeners. Gardener one has experienced an overwhelming, sickening infestation of jumping worms.
Gardener two has not—yet.
It sometimes seems impossible to make even a dent against invasives, but a dedicated bunch of volunteers are making big progress in visible public places. Property lines mean nothing to invasive plants, so every step we take at home benefits our neighbors as well.
Did you hear the news? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hardiness maps were recently revised, placing Granby on the cusp of zones 6a and 6b, a couple notches warmer than we were.