The Rise of Invasive Ornamentals: Plant Collecting and Landscape Traditions

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The Rise of Invasive Ornamentals Plant
Collecting and Landscape Traditions

• John Peter Thompson
• Photographs courtesy of Lauren Wheeler Larry
  Hurley, as well as John Thompson

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John Peter Thompson

• Secretary, National Invasive Species Council
  Advisory Committee
• Member, Maryland Invasive Species Council
• Past Prsident and founding director, Mis Atlantic
  Exotic Pest Plant Council
• Immediate Past President, Maryland Nursery
  Landscape Association
• Member, Sustainable Site Initiative Vegetative
  Subcommittee (LEEDS standards)
• Member, Chesapeake Conservation Landscape Council
• Chairman, The Behnke Nurserseries Company

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Dynamic Cultural Imperatives

• Ooops! Man loses lease on Garden of Eden.
• Nature is an adversary that must be tamed.
• Plant collecting fuels new gardening styles.
• The American suburban yard mimics the English
  Country Estate.

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Traditional Landscape Model
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What We Think We Want
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How We Realize Our Expectations
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Perception Is Reality !
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Hampton Court Palace Gardens Fusion Gardening
A Lot of a Little of Everything
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DEFINITIONOF SUSTAINABLE OR CONSERVATION
LANDSCAPING

• Conservation landscaping works with nature to
  reduce pollution. Conservation landscaping
  incorporates environmentally sensitive design,
  low impact development, non-invasive native and
  beneficial plants, and integrated pest management
  to create diverse landscapes that help protect
  clean air and water, support wildlife, and
  provide a more beautiful, healthier human
  environment.

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EIGHT PRINCIPLES

• A conservation landscape
• is designed to benefit the environment and to
  function well for human use
• has an ongoing property management process to
  remove existing invasive plants and prevent
  future alien plant invasions
• contains locally native plants that are
  appropriate for site conditions
• conserves water and promotes good water quality
• provides wildlife habitat
• promotes good air quality and is not a source of
  air pollution
• promotes healthy soils, composts plant waste on
  site, and amends disturbed soils to encourage
  native plant communities
• works with nature to be more sustainable with
  less input.

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1. Designed to benefit the environment and to
function well for human use

• Eco-system services are the FREE services such
  as
• air purification,
• water supply,
• climate regulation and moderation,
• food and raw material production,
• waste decomposition,
• erosion control,
• genetic resources,
• biological habitat

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Fallen leaves protect plant roots during the
winter, retain rain water.
Leaves broken down into organic materials by
earthworms and microorganisms in turn make
nutrients available for the tree and increase
the health and porosity of the soil.
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2. Has an ongoing property management process to
remove existing invasive plants and prevent
future alien plant invasions

• Protects against the establishment of mono
  cultures and biological deserts

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Valuable Green Island
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Invasive plants are a big problem.

• Porcelain berry
• English ivy
• Honeysuckle
• Norway maple
• Tree of Heaven

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3. Contains locally native plants that are
appropriate for site conditions

• Provide suitable habitat
• provide for maximum bio-diversity

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Case Study Galloway Residence
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Native plants
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Iris panicum
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Virginia Fringe Tree
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Native in a Parking Island?!
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4. Conserves water and promotes good water
quality
1st year 2nd Year
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5. Provides wildlife habitat

• We need biodiversity because biodiversity runs
  the ecosystem on which we depend. The more
  diverse an ecosystem is, the more services (air,
  water, food, benign weather systems, carbon
  dioxide sequestration, garbage recycling etc.) it
  will provide for us. With ever growing human
  populations, we need more ecosystem services. But
  as we kill off our biodiversity, we are getting
  fewer and fewer services from our ecosystems. We
  are modifying nearly all of the earths land for
  our own purposes. Two million acres, an area the
  size of Yellowstone National Park, are lost to
  development each year. Dr. Doug Tallamy

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Wildlife and Pollinators
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6. Promotes good air quality and is not a source
of air pollution
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7. Promotes healthy soils, composts plant waste
on site, and amends disturbed soils to encourage
native plant communities

• Implement composting practices
• Avoid compaction
• Utilize previously disturbed sites as much as
  possible
• Protect tree root zones
• Good job site set-up

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8. Works with nature to be more sustainable with
less input

• Carbon neutral designs

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We Need New Designs for New Times

• The paradigms of the past are inadequate to the
  present challenges
• Ultimately, we must find ways to adapt to changes
  in our environment through understanding and
  awareness which will lead inevitably to
  conservation

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Invasive NotesInvasive Species information and
Sustainable Landscape Ideas

• www.ipetrus.blogspot.com