Posted: June 21, 2022
Throughout Pike County, a fragrant, white flowering shrub is blooming right now in multiple landscapes. Is it a friend or foe?
Photo by Mark Silverstone
Be wary of those fragrant white flowering bushes with the vicious thorns dotting the June landscape. Multiflora roses were imported from Asia as a useful shrub thought to attract wildlife, help with erosion, and be a living fence to contain livestock. Now banned from commercial sale in Pennsylvania, they are considered a noxious weeds. In contrary, they do not attract wildlife but crowd out native plants, spreading easily from seed and roots. Any stem touching the ground will produce a new plant 6 to 10 feet tall. Once established, Multiflora rose is difficult to get rid of. To learn more about this invasive plant see the Penn State Extension article on Multiflora Rose.
~ Article by Master Gardener Sheila Salmon
