Bradford Pear tree is listed as an invasive species.
Join people around North America this Presidents’ Weekend for the four-day Great Backyard Bird Count. Visit birdcount.org to learn how to make a difference in the lives and protection of birds February 13-16. It’s easy, and gives you a chance to help the bird population.
Check out birdcount.org early in February to learn how to prepare for this annual citizen-science program. It’s easy: decide where you will watch birds; observe for 15 minutes or more at least once over the four days and keep track of what you’ve seen (or heard) on your phone with the Merlin Bird ID app, (merlin.allaboutbirds.org); then report your findings as instructed online.
The event helps determine how various bird populations are doing in our area, if their migratory patterns have changed and if other birds, not native to our area, are visiting.
For more information, visit birdcount.org.
It’s time to prune roses
Rose-growers know that Valentine’s Day is special, not just because it’s a day to recognize your sweetheart. It also signals the beginning of the window to properly prune roses.
Whether you have KnockOuts, shrub roses or long-stemmed hybrid teas, sharpen up your pruners, put on your gardening gloves and prune away. Don’t be afraid you’ll hurt them. Experts recommend trimming roses back to 12 to 18 inches, selecting 4-6 of the best canes to keep.
Remove all dead and diseased wood as well as any spindly or smaller twig-like branches.
Roses can be pruned until mid- to late March. Once the canes begin to sprout, apply a dormant horticultural oil and/or copper fungicide – I use Captain Jack’s – to head off funguses and diseases. Follow the label instructions.
Now is the time to remove invasive plants
They’re everywhere, sometimes right under your nose: those prolific plants like ivy, privet, nandina and even Bradford pears.
Generally defined as plants that come from another part of the world and are detrimental to the local environment, invasive plants can be removed much easier before the growing season.
Here are some other examples: Chinese/Japanese wisteria, Chinese privet, English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle and Japanese stilt grass.
And yes! Bradford pears ARE invasive.
When they were introduced in the late 1970s, they were the darling of landscapers across the Southeast. As fast-growers with clouds of beautiful white blossoms each spring and vibrant red foliage each fall, what’s not to like?
Bradford Pears were marketed as non-seed producing and not likely to spread, but over the years, they’ve cross-pollinated with other non-sterile pears and developed seeds that pop up anywhere and everywhere. Other issues include weak limbs and trunks that easily break or split, and plants from seeds develop fierce thorns.
They’re banned from being sold in Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. Try these flowering substitutes: Eastern redbud, various species of dogwood and native plum.
Notorious for its aggressive growth, English ivy is at the top of most invasive plant lists in Georgia. It can be found growing on trees and covering the forest floor in natural areas. Not only does the ivy harm trees by competing for sunlight and nutrients, it also supplants other food sources for wildlife.
Removing it involves pulling the vines off of the tree or cutting the vine near the base of the tree to kill the ivy. Most often used as a ground cover, here are some native substitutions: moss phlox/thrift, foamflower, green-and-gold and Virginia strawberry.
The key to protecting wildlife and the environment is to plant native species. Many are excellent substitutes for their hybrid counterparts.
Resources:
Invasives and Alternatives – gainvasivespeciescouncil.org;
UGA Extension Guide to Native Plants for Georgia, fieldreport.caes.uga.edu (search for native plants I);
Native Plant Resources from the Georgia Native Plant Society – gnps.org.
