Back in the last 1950’s, John Garvin needed about 1,500 feet of fencing on the four acres which he bought for country living in Illinois. His wife dreamed of something fancy – cedar or cypress stockade – but after paying the bills for renovating the old farm house John considered himself lucky to be able to afford barbed wire.
What he finally bought was even cheaper than barbed wire and posts. For $80 he acquired 1,000 multiflora rose plants. They had been advertised as an ideal combination of beauty and strength which would require practically no maintenance, but they looked pathetically skimpy when he planted them. Spaced 18 inches apart and less than a foot tall after he cut off the tops before planting, they did not look promising.
However, John has no regrets. His fence is about six feet tall and more than two feet thick. In the spring it is glorious with millions of tiny white blossoms. Its foliage is luxuriant green into the fall. In the winter its red berries add color to the landscape.
Many farmers swear that the multi-flora rose is the best boon since the invention of the tractor. Not only does it keep livestock from roaming, but it is useful for soil conservation and erosion control. It is cheap and fast-growing. On good soil, it grows eight or ten feet high. It also can become ten feet thick, its canes dropping from the center like the ribs of an umbrella. The bush does not spread from the base, but the drooping side canes take root where they touch the ground. Its thick and thorny branches make it an impregnable barrier to keep trespassers out and to keep horses, cows, sheep and goats in.
The Department of Agriculture recommended the multiflora rose not only as a farm fence but as a useful cover for wildlife. Its clusters of bright red berries stay on the plant until displaced by new buds in spring. The berries are eaten by game birds and song birds when other food is hard to find.
Today, Multiflora rose is considered a noxious weed in the state of Kansas is highly susceptible to the Rose Roseete disease.
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Tags: garden, gardening, home improvement, plant care