If you are a gardener, either casual or serious, then you know the activity is really a sport – sometimes a blood sport – as you attempt to rid your well-ordered patches of invasive plants.

Some of these green things are evil invaders brought over during the 1700s when, apparently, settlers couldn’t stand the thought of living without their European-born plants. Hundreds of years later, we are ripping them out of the ground, tearing our hands on their thorns only to find ourselves repeating the process, growing season after growing season.

To help us better understand the siege our gardens are under, on June 9 the Sippican Lands Trust in collaboration with the Marion Garden Group and Marion Women’s Club hosted a presentation by Frederick Sechler, Jr. of the New England Wild Flower Society whose topic was invasive plants.

One of the more interesting bits of information Sechler imparted was that not all invasive plant species are really invaders.

An audience member asked if he could identify specimens she held out in a plastic bag, plants that she had been pulling from her gardens continuously year after year. Of the three sprigs Sechler studied, all were “native species.” The lady was aghast. The plants were the Virginia creeper, blackberry, and green briar.

Sechler said a gardener might not want those plants in their yards, but banished the notion that all invasive or aggressive varieties came from someplace else. Not to put too fine a point on that comment, he said, “Even poison ivy is native.”

Of those plants that are, in fact, foreign born and taking up residence in New England, Sechler identified Japanese knotweed (looks like bamboo), common reeds known as phragmites, Japanese barberry, water chestnut, and, the worst of the worst, bittersweet and Norway maples.

Sechler said that while some invasive species respond well to chemical eradication, some do not, such as bittersweet. And Japanese knotweed takes a combination of aggressive chemical treatments and removal over years, “And it still might not work well.”

Sechler said that oftentimes local permits are required before applying chemical treatments, especially for larger areas, and he cautioned reticent use of such products.

Sechler also noted that many invasive non-native plants like disturbed soils and thus construction and other landscape changes may result in good environments for unwanted plants.

So, what exactly is a non-native invasive plant?

The criteria are: 1) non-native to New England, 2) spreads rapidly, 3) displaces native flora, and 4) persists in natural landscapes.

IPANE, the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England, points out that many invasive plants have been in the environment since the 1700s and are considered non-native and also indigenous. It reports that of the 4,000 indigenous plants originating from that time period, 1,700 are not native to New England.

Movement of the invasive plants includes garden introduction (remember those settlers), accidental transportation (ballast in ships used to relocate said settlers), habitat disturbance (they love soils that have been dug up), birds and other wildlife, and even farm equipment.

Invasives have survived for all those reasons, and the lack of natural predators or pathogens that would control or eliminate their continued presence in New England is why they continue to survive, Sechler said.

To learn more about how you can identify and control invasive plants – both native and non-native – on your property, visit www.newenglandwild.org or contact the Sippican Lands Trust at 508-748-3080 for other resources.

By Marilou Newell

One of the most beautiful and highly anticipated evenings of the summer season is the annual Art In Bloom opening reception at the Marion Art Center.

A partnership, or shall I say, pairing of paintings with floral arrangements not only captures the imagination but also the essence of what can be described as creative imagination at its finest.

On June 8, the gallery’s walls displayed triumphant paintings by artist Deborah Quinn-Munson accented by floral works of art arranged by members of the Marion Garden Group.

Quinn-Munson, whose paintings range from pastels to watercolors and oils, presented a range of works that featured themes of the sea and sky, woodland landscapes, and tender portraits resplendently saturated with light.

Quinn-Munson’s love of art began in childhood and evolved into a lifelong pursuit. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of New Hampshire after attending the DeCordova Museum School in Lincoln, Massachusetts, a Master of Arts and Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University, and also attended Lyme Academy of Art. Adding to the list of her academic and artistic achievements, the artist also earned a master level designation from the International Association of Pastel Societies. Quinn-Munson is a member of the Salmagundi Club, The Copley Society of Art, Oil Painters of America, and is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America.

Quinn-Munson told The Wanderer, “My inspiration often comes from water – the Connecticut River and the ocean.” She said the changing colors found in water and the different tones and moods found therein are themes to which she often returns.

The artist said that as a child her family summered on Cape Cod and that she has lived in South Dartmouth, as well. Currently, Quinn-Munson lives in Connecticut where her studio is located.

When discussing the use of pastels in her works, Quinn-Munson said, “It is pure pigment giving the colors their vibrancy.” Those colors were on full display in such works as “Slippery When Wet,” “Field of Gold,” “Sweep of Sky,” and “Ocean Blue.”

For about ten years, the Marion Art Center has been holding the Art In Bloom exhibition, and this year’s floral presentations were once again breathtaking.

Designers Suzie Kokkins, Bobby Fuller, Connie Dolan, Heather Parsons, Karilon Grainger, and recent past president of the Marion Garden Group, Cassy West, paired their works of art with Quinn-Munson’s paintings, accenting the paintings’ colors and themes.

West’s floral arrangement was styled after Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging that employs a few elements placed in cylindrical postures allowing each item’s individual identity to be seen, while playing off each other’s beauty.

Quinn-Munson’s works may be viewed until mid-July. You may also visit www.quinnmunson.com to learn more about the artist and her works, and check out www.marionartcenter.org for upcoming events at the center.

By Marilou Newell