Late summer is the time when I must deal with the porcelain berry. This is a hardy, woody vine that landed in America as an exquisite, bejeweled bower only to be reviled later as a beast. Unchecked, it will grow 15 feet a year and smother shrubs, trees and in time whole landscapes in its quest for world domination.
Once a week I rip out the wandering stems before their white blossoms turn into seedy berries. I need to grub it out at the roots, but the gooseberry is full of thorns, and that’s a job for winter, when I can get a clearer view.
Where did this marauder come from? It came from a guy named Thomas Hogg Jr. Actually, it came from Japan, but Hogg was the person who brought it to our shores. Mr. Hogg also brought us the monster vine of the south kudzu.
See Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more about tackling these exotics turned invaders.