Multiflora Rose

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.” Shakespeare famously wrote these lines in Romeo and Juliet. In my woodland garden I have altered them. A multiflora rose by any other name would still be a pest!

New York has a list of invasive plants, including Multiflora Rose (Rosa Multiflora for the scientific name). It is ranked among the top forest invasive species for the northeastern area by the US Forest Service. This rose originated in the region of China, Japan and Korea. It was introduced into the United States in 1866 and has become a threat to native plants ever since.

In developing my woodland garden I must remove quite a number of these invasive roses. Digging out a rose you might think is easy, but this particular rose is time consuming. The thorns are sharp enough to wound and the mature plants have a spread of anywhere from a few feet to 15 feet and a height up to 25 feet. The meagre blossoms they produce are not overly attractive.

The older roses in my woodland form a dense, impenetrable thicket of living and dead branches. Wildlife cannot penetrate and other plants cannot grow, because the thicket blocks all light to the woodland floor.

The rose in the photo above had base stocks of 3,” meaning it had been growing for more than a decade. By removing it and another equally invasive shrub, Japanese Honeysuckle, I was able to clear a substantial area. Only two plants and hours worth of work.

Invasive plants are bad for the environment because they contribute so little. Unchecked they dominate an area – nothing else can get a foothold. The natural woodland would have a variety of plants beneficial to animals, birds and butterflies. With plants like the multiflora rose and the honeysuckle, the ability of any other plants to thrive is severely limited. The invasive plants do not produce enough for the surrounding habitat to make up for what they block. They rob from every living thing around them.

I have gone through 4 pair of work shoes in the past year. A couple of weeks ago I bought a pair of regulation army boots. They are comfortable and hopefully will last longer than a few months. I will need them as I have declared all out war against the invasive plants in my garden. Forward march – into the war of the roses!