Tips
from the New England Wild Flower Society, Framingham, MA, Fall 2007
Tom
Smarr, Director of Horticulture at New England Wild Flower Society,
the oldest plant conservation organization in America, reminds the
public to avoid Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus
orbiculatus) and Multiflora rose (Rosa
multiflora) in holiday decorations.
"Even
though these plants may seem attractive, and some people would like
to use them in dried flower arrangements, New England Wild Flower
Society urges you to avoid them. Too often birds carry the fruits
right off wreaths and garlands, or the fruits end up in landfills
where they resprout. These plants create severe environmental damage
in many parts of the country. They
invade open fields, forests, wetlands, meadows, and even your own
backyard, aggressively killing off whatever plants are nearby.
Bittersweet can even kill mature trees. Both plants are
extremely difficult to control-when they are cut off they quickly
resprout."
Even
though you may still see them for sale, because they are so
dangerous to natural habitats, it is now actually illegal to sell
bittersweet and multiflora rose in any form (plants or prunings) in
the state of Massachusetts. View
the
Massachusetts
prohibited
plant list.
Find invasive plant lists of other states at the
conservation pages at www.newenglandwild.org
or at your local native plant society.
In
the spirit of the holiday season, the New England Wild Flower
Society urges you to select decorations that will consider the
health of the earth as well as a pretty appearance.
There are so many other beautiful choices that are fun to
use and great for design, like
winterberry, the evergreen American holly, pine and spruce boughs,
cranberries, blueberry twigs, dried flower pods, dried ornamental
grasses, pine cones, and more. For a list of suggestions, visit the FAQ page at
www.newenglandwild.org.
The
New England Wild Flower Society is headquartered at its botanical
garden, Garden in the Woods - a 45-acre living museum with over 1500
kinds of native plants of America on display, 180 Hemenway Road,
Framingham, Massachusetts. For
more information about NEWFS, call 508-877-7630,
TTY 508-877-6553, or visit www.newenglandwild.org.
