Saturday, November 25, 2017

Growing Liriope And Ornamental Grass

By Stephanie Brown


There are a variety of methods gardeners utilize to border their flower beds, and all of them are delightful. Some might use bricks or stones, especially in states with a great deal of shiny, white quartz rock available. Some gardeners, and many landscapers, prefer to use natural borders such as liriope and ornamental grass.

Like any non-indigenous plant or animal introduced into an ecosystem, these grasses must be kept maintained. They may not grow very tall, but they can have densely-packed roots that do not allow anything else to survive. A plant that chokes out all others can be dangerously invasive, creating a massive change in an entire landscape, and even contributing to the extinction of animal species.

L. Spicata is the variety that is most invasive, as it spreads through runners. The other variety, L. Muscari, grows in rounded clumps that only get so large and do not spread further. It is not uncommon for L. Spicata to be erroneously marked as L. Muscari, and this confusion can create an ecological situation.

Any foreign plant that becomes overly aggressive has a tendency to alter the landscape. When large patches of indigenous grasses are replaced by foreign varieties, this can create problems for other creatures who eat the indigenous varieties. Deer, bison, cows, and even human beings can be impacted by the destruction of such an ecosystem.

As landscaping and gardening have become more and more popular, we see more and more foreign plant species being brought to our Nation. Occasionally some get here by accident, hitching a ride on human shoes or in the stomachs of birds. However, most foreign plants have immigrated to America by invitation.

Our first import from China was just such an aggressive plant. Kudzu grows quite well in the temperate climate of the Southeastern United States. While the livestock it was intended to feed would not eat it, the fields where it was first cultivated became the first death fields of healthy vines killing massive trees.

The one good use they did find for this plant was preventing weed encroachment from the railroad lines. This is why one can see fields of the stuff emanating out from the train stations and rails. Keeping it controlled in other areas has proven to be a nearly impossible task.

In order to get rid of it in order to start new construction, the entire area must be bulldozed out thoroughly. One is urged to go down at least ten feet. Getting permission to discard that dirt is nearly impossible, so builders now have it heat sterilized before returning it to where it came from.

We humans have failed our planet in many ways. The spread of invasive animals and plants is just one manner in which we have used the planet without asking for Her blessing. Now our native plants and grasses are diminishing due to the careless nature of human beings.




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