By Karsen Gentry

As temperatures drop below freezing it’s nice to look back on warmer days such as our Invasive Plant Removal from December 7th. KBB, Little River Watershed Association, the Tuckaleechee Gardening Club and all of the amazing volunteers met at the from the Townsend River Walk & Arboretum to remove Winter Creeper, English Ivy, and Bush Honeysuckle. While you’ve probably seen these in your yard or in the case of Honeysuckle, even heard about it in a Dolly Parton song, how much do you actually know about these tricky plants?

Winter Creeper

Winter Creeper is an evergreen perennial vine that was introduced as an ornamental groundcover. This plant is native to China, Japan, and Korea. While this plant looks lovely, even keeping its green through the winter months, don’t let it fool you! Winter Creeper is a vine that can quickly take over everything in its path. The volunteers removed Winter Creeper by pulling up the roots. Winter Creeper, if not disposed of correctly, will take root again so it was important that the vines were bagged to prevent further growth.

English Ivy

English Ivy is an aggressive vine that was also introduced for ornamental purposes. This plant is native to Europe and was brought to the U.S. by settlers. English Ivy grows quickly and takes over large areas where it displaces native vegetation. Volunteers helped to remove English Ivy from the river walk where it was placed in trash bags for removal. 

Bush Honeysuckle

Bush Honeysuckle is a shrub originally from Asia. This shrub can quickly take over the understory in a woodland. It leafs out early in the season, essentially stealing sunlight from native plants. Bush Honeysuckle also produces berries which are eaten by birds who then distribute the seeds elsewhere. Volunteers removed the Bush Honeysuckle by pulling the whole plant out, root and all. The shrub was then collected to be burned later.

Thanks to all the volunteers and our friends at the Little River Watershed and the Tuckaleechee Garden Club for helping with the invasive removal! A special shout out to all who volunteered with us this year! Whether at the invasive removal or a local cleanup, our volunteers made a huge impact in keeping Blount County beautiful! See you in 2020!