We worked our butts off to tame the blackberries and remove other unwanted plants, but *someone* (the city or hydro, I just don’t know who?) decided to scrape the side of our entire slope bare. Our slope runs for about a half kilometer, so it isn’t just a small area. Why did they do it? I’m pretty perplexed. I am guessing to keep the greenery in control so the trees don’t eventually hit the hydro poles?
I had been planning to seed our slope for a while, and even debated what to seed it with at great length, but then it snowed and I went back to school for Landscape Horticulture. Before we knew it, the green started to come. Nature always finds a way to fill an empty spot–there is no bare land in this neck of the woods!
Like foxglove. Oh no! Foxglove, though lovely and beautiful to look at, is pretty poisonous and with our toddlers that is not a good match for us.
Foxglove – pretty but invasive
We also got the nasty surprise of Morning Glory (Calystegia sepium).The sight of this one made my heart cringe as it is extremely aggressive, grows rapidly and twines itself up other trees and plants. I seriously wanted to cry and still want to!
Next, I found Shasta Daisies–cute as a button until I stumbled upon an internet conversation and quickly realized those cute flowers were actually Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). Oxeye daisies look innocent, but apparently taste so bad that not even the sheep and goats will eat them. From what I hear, goats eat anything! Oxeye daisy also displace the natural grazing fauna because it is not eaten, so it keeps growing. What a clever species!
I also found Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) which is stunning and English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) which just reminds me of a nice hot cup of hot chocolate with melting marshmallows and Christmas carols as I wait for Christmas to arrive. But even these two beauties have a dark side.
Oxeye daisies – they look innocent but they’re not
Some of these invasive plants will become unfortunate nightmares and steal hours from us as we try to make them go away, some of them could take us many years to control and some of them maybe breathtaking to behold. Some, may just need to be watched and guided and others will need to be dug out and then burned to a crisp.
I’m sure as I learn more and more, I will stumble across more invasive species.
When they scraped our slope, the seeds that were embedded in the ground could have come from kilometers away. By planting something that is not native to our area, we are taking many chances and changing our ecosystem. Honestly, there are a whole host of plants that I can’t wait to plant that are not native to BC and that is okay, as long as it has been thoroughly thought out and planned.
Another possibility is that these invasive species were buried and tucked deep away underground, only to be unburied and given a shot at life.
The soil on our slope should have never been left bare like that and a cover crop should have been thrown on top. Had I known this scraping would be happening beforehand, I could have had a plan in place. However, I am partly to blame because I should have picked something to throw on top after the fact. The bigger reason I am left scratching my head is because erosion control is a big deal for us. The root systems and trees hold up the earth and keep it stable and by removing the plants and not replanting them, the earth could become unsteady and slide.
Becky is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Landscape & Production Horticulturist, Arborist and budding Herbalist, who recognizes and specializes in the link between healthy soil, the gut and the brain. She also loves being the mom to her two wild and crazy kids Brooke & Connor whom keep her and her ever loving, creative husband Jay on their toes.
Becky is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Landscape & Production Horticulturist, Arborist and budding Herbalist, who recognizes and specializes in the link between healthy soil, the gut and the brain. She also loves being the mom to her two wild and crazy kids Brooke & Connor whom keep her and her ever loving, creative husband Jay on their toes.
Design by NXNW.
