Plant This, Not That
The Rose and Wisteria Episode
Ok, let’s get down to some nitty-gritty. Whether you’re looking to replace some clunkers or starting from scratch, what should you actually plant? Bearing in mind that the U.S. is a big country encompassing multiple ecoregions – so what’s welcome in Palos Verdes may be toxic in Provincetown (never mind the rest of the world, which is a whole other ball of wax) – I’ll try to provide some constructive suggestions in an occasional “Plant This, Not That” series. Here’s the first.
Nota bene: I'm pretty new at this, so my advice will be based more on book learnin' than real-world experience. Best to treat it like friendly inspiration rather than infallible instructions. Also, regardless of what I say, remember to investigate where any new plant acquisitions come from (ideally they're native to, and were propagated within, your ecoregion) and how they were propagated (ideally they're nature-designed species or human-designed cultivars known to support wildlife as well as their species’ forbears). They also, of course, need to be suited to your particular soil, sun and water conditions.
We’re in the lovely month of May, when thoughts turn to lemonade under the arbor and strolls along the seashore, so let's start with some plants that are iconic symbols of late spring: roses and wisteria.
Invasive: beach and multiflora roses (Rosa rugosa and R. multiflora)
Rugosa roses are a familiar sight along the beaches of Newport, Nantucket and the entire Northeast coast, as well as parts of the Pacific Northwest and Midwest. Yes, they’re charming. So I’m sorry to break it to you rugosa lovers: they’re native to East Asia. Here in the U.S. they displace native species and form “monotypic” stands, meaning nothing else grows among them. Connecticut, Delaware and Alaska list them as invasive species to be avoided.
Multiflora roses are even more widespread and present even more of a threat. They’re found throughout the Eastern half of the U.S, Pacific Northwest and northern California. They grow aggressively and produce fruits (hips) that birds eat and then disperse. They readily invade woodlands, forest edges, successional fields, savannas and prairies that have been disturbed, forming impenetrable thickets that displace native plants and wildlife. Twenty-three states have either listed them as a noxious weed, or restricted or prohibited them.
Native Alternatives: Arkansas, California, Carolina, Appalachian valley, swamp, Virginia, western wild, prairie and desert roses (Rosa arkansana, R. californica, R. carolina, R. obtusiuscula, R. palustris, R. virginiana, R. woodsii, R. setigera, and R. stellata), to name just a few.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center native plant finder lists more than 50 species and varieties of roses that are native to the U.S. That’s one for every state! I’d add that most of them are at least as beautiful as rugosas and multifloras. So go to town with the native roses. There are plenty to choose from.
Invasive: Japanese and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda and W. sinensis)
It may come as no surprise that Japanese and Chinese wisteria are from Japan and China, respectively. And yes, they’re seductive. They can be found throughout the eastern and southeastern US. Unfortunately, they spread well beyond where they’re planted. Infestations of these non-natives are common along forest edges, roadsides, ditches and rights-of-way. The vines twine tightly around host tree trunks and branches and cut through bark, causing death through girdling. When they kill trees, they alter the structure of the forest by changing the availability of light to the plants below. On the ground, they form dense thickets that smother and shade out native vegetation. Ten states have listed, restricted or prohibited Japanese wisteria, while fourteen have done so for the Chinese species.
Native Alternative: American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens)
Yes, we have one of our own! American wisteria is less aggressive than the Asian species. It’s native to the eastern U.S. as far west as Texas. It’s fragrant and stunning, as you can see, and it can be trained on arbors, trellises and walls. Plus it’s a larval host to multiple native butterflies and moths, including the exotic-sounding Marine Blue and Zarucco Duskywing.
If you happen to have invasive roses or wisteria, please remember that this newsletter is a no-judgment zone. My yard is filled with invasives and evidence of plenty of other ecological missteps. I just didn’t know. But I’m learning, and doing my best to change my habits as I go. I hope you will, too!
If you happen to have, or intend to plant, some native roses or wisteria, please enjoy your late-spring lemonade and seaside strolls knowing you’ve added beauty and done a solid for the environment.
A postscript: As pleasant as it is to muse about roses and wisteria, I write this newsletter because I want my kid and presumptive grandkids – yours, as well – to inherit a livable planet. I also want them to live in a democracy that defends their human, civil and political rights. In light of recent events, it needs to be said clearly: reproductive rights are human rights. For a woman to exercise her basic rights to life, health, privacy, education, and freedom from torture and discrimination, she must have control over her reproductive life and access to quality reproductive healthcare. The corollary is that a democracy that doesn’t respect the human rights of all of its citizens isn’t, in fact, a democracy. So, when you’re not busy restoring biodiversity, please write letters, speak out, donate, volunteer, campaign, advocate and otherwise use your considerable talents and voices to support a more just and equitable future.
Resources
Jill Swearingen, et. al., Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, 4th edition, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2010.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States, University of Georgia and National Park Service.
Jessica Damiano, “Plant This, Not That: Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants,” AP News, April 26, 2022.
“Native Plant Alternatives to Rosa Rugosa (Rugosa Rose),” Gardenia, Creating Gardens.
Justine Hand, “10 Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants,” Gardenista, September 29, 2021.
good stuff...though we tend to use regosa roses in Maine to stop erosion at top of a hill above the sea at our place. Hope you wont turn us in to the invasive police.
Fun article, excellent format. I liked the Virginia Rose. Will keep it in mind if we add anything in the future. Thanks also for the postscript. Trying times.