You may have noticed some changes if you have ventured onto the Uxbridge Historical Centre’s (UHC) grounds recently. More specifically, you may finally be able to see some historic farming equipment that was temporarily lost to the foliage. Unfortunately, the plants that caused this botanical bellyache (floral fuss, horticultural headache) may also be present in your garden.
The most damaging to our artifacts was the Virginia Creeper: a perennial vine that latches onto its surroundings as support. The vines quickly leave their mark, suffocating the plants around them and damaging the items in their grasp. Here at the museum, the vines took hold of the rusting metal rods of our hundred-year-old potato diggers and the wooden planks of our split-rail fence. While the metal farming implements were strong enough to withstand the hold of the Virginia Creeper, the same cannot be said about the fence. Years of trapped moisture and shifted log positioning caused by the vine has left a small portion of the fence rotten and dismantled.
To further the frustration while working on this garden, the Virginia Creeper was not one to give up easily. The vine can regrow from nearly any piece of itself that is left behind. Even after having pulled the entirety of the vine from the ground and cutting it into small pieces to dispose of, it could be found re-growing from the severed stump in the ground and its cutup remains in a yard waste bag.
While Virginia Creeper can be an easy way to decorate a metal fence or brick wall, be sure that one eye is always monitoring its sly behaviour. If you find that the vine has spread to an unwanted area, be sure to remove all of it, dig up any roots possible, and throw away any remnants. Additionally, pouring a mixture of vinegar and salt over the remaining stubborn roots will help ensure you are victorious in ridding yourself of this plant. However, be cautious using this concoction because it can damage surrounding plants.
The Virginia Creeper is not the only challenge facing the UHC’s outdoor collection. The Black Locust Tree is a misleadingly beautiful green-leafed, flowering, hardwood tree. Its great deception comes in the late summer, when it sheds its white flowers, exchanging them for brown seed pods, and begins reproducing at an alarming rate. The Locust Tree is from the pea family and, much like its cousins, is a nitrogen-fixing plant that performs exceedingly well in poor-quality soil. Despite each tree producing hundreds of seeds, these do not often germinate. The Locust Tree more commonly reproduces by creating huge root systems from which it directly grows new saplings. The result is a massive, interconnected root system that can grow under most conditions and will constantly be producing new saplings.
While this tree is naturalized in Canada, it is known to be a killer of indigenous trees and must be controlled. Due to their placement and size, the older Locust Trees growing in the UHC garden were much harder to eradicate. If you happen upon a Black Locust on your property, refer to the Best Management Practices in Ontario for Black Locust Document by the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. This document includes tips such as: “Herbicides (...) are the most effective method for Black Locust control but this does depend on the herbicide and concentration used, as well as the timing of the application.”
The final and most difficult plant plaguing the garden is the Creeping Bellflower. This invasive species has been nearly impossible to eradicate without killing the other plants around it. If it’s cut, it’s back the next day; if it’s pulled, it’s back in two days; if it’s dug out, it’s back in a week. In the UHC’s Heritage Herb Garden, Creeping Bellflower spread quickly and was suffocating many of the herbs. Under the agricultural artifacts, the flower was retaining moisture and expediting the rusting process. Much of the Creeping Bellflower was removed around the artifacts by digging them out and then covering the ground with landscaping fabric and mulch. However, there is still an ongoing battle against the Bellflower that has found its way into our otherwise healthy herb garden.
Fortunately, this hard-fought battle with these various invasive species has been well worth it. The UHC’s land roller, two-row potato planter, potato diggers, and steam fire pump have all been cleared of vegetation and are on display again! Better yet, these artifacts, as well as all large agricultural artifacts on display at the UHC grounds, will soon have informational panels describing their use and origin. These informational panels will be on display outside and will be free and available for everyone exploring the grounds to enjoy.
Creeping Bellflower Photo Credits:
Sources:
Tree Canada. (2018, June 18). Tree Killers: Black Locust. Tree Canada. https://treecanada.ca/resources/tree-killers/black-locust/.
Warne, A. (2016). Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) Best Management Practices in Ontario. Ontario Invasive Plant Council, Peterborough, ON. https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Black_Locust_BMP.pdf.
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