Puddock Hill Journal #20: On a recent visit to the Baltics, I spotted our native plants away from home, not always behaving. You didn’t hear from me last week because Pam and I went off on a two-week Baltic cruise with her mother and some friends. The prior week’s newsletter, in case you’re wondering, was […]
Tag: invasive plants
Hope Among the Ruins
Puddock Hill Journal #17: An aggressive attack on invasive patches yields mixed results and pretty fine surprises. This time of year, the war against invasive plants at Puddock Hill takes on ominous overtones. Plants like Multiflora rose that were cut back fight back. Stifling annuals like Japanese stiltgrass begin cropping up everywhere. Yet others, like […]
Do I Throw in the Trowel?
Puddock Hill Journal #14: Multiple Invaders Challenge the Backyard Steward Yesterday evening I went out with the string trimmer and found discouragement. There are so many ways to look at nature. We can take in the lay of the land to understand its underlying geological formations, for example, or we can dig a small hole […]
Invasives Are NOT People Too
Puddock Hill Journal #12: What’s so bad about invasive trees, anyway? Earlier this spring, Pam and I went on a horticultural walking tour of a nearby town. The woman leading the tour was knowledgeable, but went off course when someone asked a question about invasive trees. No trees are bad, she said. They are just […]
Join Nature’s War of Attrition
Puddock Hill Journal #10: Battling Invasives While Helping Natives The plants in every ecosystem are constantly at war, and it’s a war of attrition. I find it helpful to consider this simple observation when figuring out how best to battle invasive species and promote natives. Nothing in nature is static. Until about 800 million years […]
A Judicious War on Invasives
Puddock Hill Journal #7: Backyard Stewardship Is a Group Effort Life is a group effort. I am reminded of that fact whenever I cast my gaze around Puddock Hill. This time of year, when I sit writing on the front porch on sunny afternoons I see painted turtles gathered by the dozen to bask on […]
A Time to Kill…Garlic Mustard
Puddock Hill Journal – Entry #4: First Noxious Weed of Spring At Puddock Hill, one unwelcome sign of early spring is the sight of garlic mustard popping up like mushrooms. I tend to find this plant in areas of recent disturbance or in partial shade. One day it’s not there at all, it seems. The […]