It's a complicated issue because you can't talk about invasive plants without then addressing the need for more native plants in our gardens.
One that should be used more is Inkberry, Ilex glabra. This native evergreen holly is an excellent alternative to Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata) and Japanese Boxwood (Buxus microphylla)in the landscape. Indigenous from Nova Scotia to Florida, this plant is found in coastal plains and pine forests and is well-adapted to wet soils.
In the animal world, Inkberry can be considered a "superfood." According to an article in American Nurseryman (March 2010), the fruit are eaten by birds and mammals in the spring- including wild turkey and quail. Thirty-four species of moth and butterfly larvae are able to forage the leaves. In turn, these caterpillars become an important food source for many of our songbirds.
In addition to supporting birds, mammals and herbivorous insects, Inkberry is an important nectar and pollen source for honeybees. The nectar that is collected from Inkberry contains high levels of a particular enzyme that prevents the honey from crystallizing. A prominent botanist and beekeeper from the 1920's, John H. Lovell, referred to Inkberry as "the most valuable honey plant" (Root and Root, The ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture).
Incidentally, due to development, Ilex glabra is becoming more scarce, particularly in the Northeast. As we inhabit larger areas of the United States, our gardens become the natural habitat for birds, insects and other animals; We can no longer pretend that our personal landscapes are not part of the bigger picture. Incorporating great plants like Inkberry into our gardens can help sustain our native fauna.For more information about this great native shrub, check out the article by Emma Van de Water and Dr. Tomasz Anisko ("An Adaptable Shrub for a Changing Environment) in this month's American Nurseryman.
Growing a bunch of Inkberry "Shamrock" here in NJ and they are doing real well in partial shade and in the wet, clay acidic soil. Only issue I have is a little bit of legginess as they lose their lower leaves.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand about the legginess! It seems to be their natural habit.
ReplyDeleteAt nurseries, we prune them very hard each year (in the spring) to keep them full to the base. You have to start early, before they get leggy.
Also- try 'Densa.' It's a little fuller.
How true that we cannot pretend our personal landscapes are not part of the bigger picture. The inkberry is a pretty shrub. It reminds me of the native yaupon holly I grow in my yard.
ReplyDeleteKerri,
ReplyDeleteAny recomendations on how to prune the already leggy ones of the 'Densa' variety?
The honeysuckle woods were bee plantations. Honeysuckle was the queen plant surrounded by bee loving plants starting with specie bulbs in February with fruit trees and roses etc. In the remains of the gone to hell honeysuckle woods are springs, cemeteries, homestead sites, some dating back to the 1500s. If you start in at Antrim Park along Alum Creek, you see small hand cut sandstone foundations, where the earliest European settlers once had crooked houses, made out of vines. The sand bars ran riot with their flowers
ReplyDelete