Invasive action never ends. Feet-up reading material can boost your kill-invasives-and-plant-natives game. Here are some great resources for our region. Search for them at the library, on the web, or use the links at GranbyInvasivePlants.weebly.com.
Books
Connecticut Native Plant and Sustainable Landscaping Guide, UCONN Extension, 2021.
Massively useful and little known, this FREE Guide’s 44 pages are packed with specific plant lists – wet places, salty spots, groundcovers, lawn alternatives, plants easy to grow from seed, cover and pasture plants, plants for reclamation areas, and more. Nurseries and seed vendors, great color pictures ... and it’s free. Authors include key members of the state’s hub of invasive plant knowledge, the CT Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG).
Nature's Best Hope, or anything else, by Dr. Doug Tallamy.
Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Biology at U. of Delaware, Dr. Doug is a key contributor to the explosive leap in public understanding of the impact of humans on the natural world and how we can repair the damage we cause every day. His funky video presentations (including through the Granby Public Library in 2021) and informal Instagram posts are accessible and full of insights. He co-launched HomegrownNationalPark.org, an innovative, practical way to aggregate and accelerate individual backyard efforts to replace invasives plants with natives that feed the bugs that feed the birds and so on.
Northeast Native Plant Primer, Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Trust, 2022.
A great resource of 235 plants (trees, grasses, shrubs, vines, ferns and wildflowers), many not well-known, with much planting guidance. One could quibble with details or missed opportunities to show more than one image of a plant, the choice of one plant vs. another – but it’s an outstanding tool for the general public at a pivotal time.
Native Trees of Connnecticut, John Ehrenreich, 2022.
A handy book with good illustrations and helpful guidance on identifying trees, with some stories and lore. BUT: its definition of native as a tree that has been “present for over a century or naturalized in the state or nearby” is careless and dangerous. It includes the so-called Tree of Heaven (an invasive curse upon the land that hosts another invading curse, spotted lanternfly), and includes none of the native Magnolias. Be careful how you use it.
Catalogues
Ernst Seeds in Pennsylvania
A tremendous resource for converting invasive-choked wastelands to native plantlands. The online catalogue features step-by-step strategies and products, especially for large-scale transformations.
FEDCO
THE most useful set of catalogues ever. Tiny type, flimsy newsprint, old-timey line drawings, not a speck of color, nary a photo ... but hundreds of pages packed with plant and growing wisdom. A Maine consumer/worker-owned co-op, FEDCO has been serving the organic growing community for nearly half a century and ships thousands of affordable, high-quality bare-rooted trees, shrubs and perennials every spring. There’s a Trees catalogue, one for Seeds & Supplies, and one for Bulbs, all incredibly beautiful and informative, far beyond the narrow needs of commerce. FEDCO has a fine website too – but the printed catalogue is a true world treasure.
Instagram
Samadgardensinitiative
Sarah Rose and Azeem Kareem in Windsor offer completely accessible home gardening and small-scale farming advice for those who want a more self-sufficent life. Their roots include the Holcomb Farm CSA. They often post short videos on seed-saving, soil preparation, windowsill germinating and the like.
Northeastnativeplants
A couple times a week Michelle Poudrette puts out glorious pictures and informal personal commentary on plants we all know and love – and plants so rare almost no one ever sees (like small whorled pogonia, lance-leaved twistedstalk …). Most posts are from CT’s northeast quiet corner, but her native range is the multi-state northeast, from the Sound to the north woods.
Pollinatorpathwaystamford
Occasional posts are all about groups of people – students, retirees, experts, newbies -- getting together to gradually replace invasive-infested and abandoned areas with sustainable native plantings at scale, and the flora and fauna that benefit.
Nativeplanttrust
Everyone should know about Garden in the Woods in Framingham MA, Nasami Farm in Whately MA, and the GoBotany reference webpage. The Native Plant Trust has been around since 1900 and is the authoritative source on native plants in northeast states. Its posts range from internship and training opportunities to classes and planting insights to deep dives into specific plants. A national treasure.
-----
Invasive Action this month
In winter it’s easier to target leafless invaders like Autumn & Russian Olive, Bittersweet, MF Rose, Barberry, and Euonymus. If they are too big to yank out by the roots, carefully cut-and-paint stumps with herbicides – it’s amazing but many dormant plants take up enough systemic poison in the winter to maim or end their vitality.
Granby residents tackle large projects together on regular 2nd Saturday mornings. Send a note at GranbyInvasivePlants.weebly.com -- scroll down to the bottom of the main page -- to find out more.
-----
And …
This is the 26th column published in the Drummer since the Granby Conservation Commission began the NOT WANTED campaign in 2019. As the Drummer leadership shifts, we want to recognize and appreciate the extraordinary role Drummer volunteers play in making our town a great place to live. It has been a pleasure to work with the generous and super hard-working Drummer volunteers, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration.
Books
Connecticut Native Plant and Sustainable Landscaping Guide, UCONN Extension, 2021.
Massively useful and little known, this FREE Guide’s 44 pages are packed with specific plant lists – wet places, salty spots, groundcovers, lawn alternatives, plants easy to grow from seed, cover and pasture plants, plants for reclamation areas, and more. Nurseries and seed vendors, great color pictures ... and it’s free. Authors include key members of the state’s hub of invasive plant knowledge, the CT Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG).
Nature's Best Hope, or anything else, by Dr. Doug Tallamy.
Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Biology at U. of Delaware, Dr. Doug is a key contributor to the explosive leap in public understanding of the impact of humans on the natural world and how we can repair the damage we cause every day. His funky video presentations (including through the Granby Public Library in 2021) and informal Instagram posts are accessible and full of insights. He co-launched HomegrownNationalPark.org, an innovative, practical way to aggregate and accelerate individual backyard efforts to replace invasives plants with natives that feed the bugs that feed the birds and so on.
Northeast Native Plant Primer, Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Trust, 2022.
A great resource of 235 plants (trees, grasses, shrubs, vines, ferns and wildflowers), many not well-known, with much planting guidance. One could quibble with details or missed opportunities to show more than one image of a plant, the choice of one plant vs. another – but it’s an outstanding tool for the general public at a pivotal time.
Native Trees of Connnecticut, John Ehrenreich, 2022.
A handy book with good illustrations and helpful guidance on identifying trees, with some stories and lore. BUT: its definition of native as a tree that has been “present for over a century or naturalized in the state or nearby” is careless and dangerous. It includes the so-called Tree of Heaven (an invasive curse upon the land that hosts another invading curse, spotted lanternfly), and includes none of the native Magnolias. Be careful how you use it.
Catalogues
Ernst Seeds in Pennsylvania
A tremendous resource for converting invasive-choked wastelands to native plantlands. The online catalogue features step-by-step strategies and products, especially for large-scale transformations.
FEDCO
THE most useful set of catalogues ever. Tiny type, flimsy newsprint, old-timey line drawings, not a speck of color, nary a photo ... but hundreds of pages packed with plant and growing wisdom. A Maine consumer/worker-owned co-op, FEDCO has been serving the organic growing community for nearly half a century and ships thousands of affordable, high-quality bare-rooted trees, shrubs and perennials every spring. There’s a Trees catalogue, one for Seeds & Supplies, and one for Bulbs, all incredibly beautiful and informative, far beyond the narrow needs of commerce. FEDCO has a fine website too – but the printed catalogue is a true world treasure.
Samadgardensinitiative
Sarah Rose and Azeem Kareem in Windsor offer completely accessible home gardening and small-scale farming advice for those who want a more self-sufficent life. Their roots include the Holcomb Farm CSA. They often post short videos on seed-saving, soil preparation, windowsill germinating and the like.
Northeastnativeplants
A couple times a week Michelle Poudrette puts out glorious pictures and informal personal commentary on plants we all know and love – and plants so rare almost no one ever sees (like small whorled pogonia, lance-leaved twistedstalk …). Most posts are from CT’s northeast quiet corner, but her native range is the multi-state northeast, from the Sound to the north woods.
Pollinatorpathwaystamford
Occasional posts are all about groups of people – students, retirees, experts, newbies -- getting together to gradually replace invasive-infested and abandoned areas with sustainable native plantings at scale, and the flora and fauna that benefit.
Nativeplanttrust
Everyone should know about Garden in the Woods in Framingham MA, Nasami Farm in Whately MA, and the GoBotany reference webpage. The Native Plant Trust has been around since 1900 and is the authoritative source on native plants in northeast states. Its posts range from internship and training opportunities to classes and planting insights to deep dives into specific plants. A national treasure.
-----
Invasive Action this month
In winter it’s easier to target leafless invaders like Autumn & Russian Olive, Bittersweet, MF Rose, Barberry, and Euonymus. If they are too big to yank out by the roots, carefully cut-and-paint stumps with herbicides – it’s amazing but many dormant plants take up enough systemic poison in the winter to maim or end their vitality.
Granby residents tackle large projects together on regular 2nd Saturday mornings. Send a note at GranbyInvasivePlants.weebly.com -- scroll down to the bottom of the main page -- to find out more.
-----
And …
This is the 26th column published in the Drummer since the Granby Conservation Commission began the NOT WANTED campaign in 2019. As the Drummer leadership shifts, we want to recognize and appreciate the extraordinary role Drummer volunteers play in making our town a great place to live. It has been a pleasure to work with the generous and super hard-working Drummer volunteers, and we look forward to many more years of collaboration.
NOT WANTED: Granby Conservation Commission's campaign to educate about and take action on invasive plants