PORCELAIN BERRY: DISASTER IN THE ALLEY
The Monday Garden, August 29, 2004, Issue 127
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Porcelainberry, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, is a human-spawned menace. It entered the USA from Asia in the 1870's disguised as a desirable, if not miraculous, garden plant -- soooo pretty, soooo easy to grow, and the wildlife liked it too. Big mistake; like the one that the sorcerer’s apprentice made. In the lead for the “kudzu of the north” award, porcelainberry has spread out-of-control, smothering its hapless neighbors with a thick shroud of light-blocking vines, then pulling them down with its weight. So why do we care about this intra-plant war?
In the age of malls and condos, our sub/urban gardens, industrial parks, and tiny left-over spaces between lots are the only available home for not only the birds and squirrels, but also the skunks, woodchucks, possum, raccoons, chipmunks, and deer; not to mention a feral cat or two; or even a family of red foxes or coyotes.
My favorite tiny nature sanctuary is the Hoyt Street Alley, source of many The Monday Garden photos.