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It wouldn't be fall without Halloween or Veteran's Day or Thanksgiving. It wouldn't be fall without Indian corn or chestnuts or pumpkins. It wouldn't be fall without falling leaves in a medley of yellow and red and orange. It wouldn't be fall without a few tendrils of bittersweet.
Bittersweet is a vine that presents berries that provide a lively die-hard accent to winter gardens. Crafters use it for wreaths and decorating, while birds like Baltimore orioles make a meal of it. It's hard to ignore the jewel-like setting the mature berries display. As days get shorter and temps get colder, Bitter-sweet adds a delicate accent to the fall palette.
There is one little problem. Bittersweet kills trees.
Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) vines are considered one of America's most invasive plants. It has taken over the habitat of American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) also known as "False Bitterswee". Oriental Bittersweet has been so successful that our indigenous vine is now on the USDA endangered plant list.
Oriental Bittersweet is uncontrollable, engulfing anything in its path and girdling it. A few fallen seeds will sprout and vine their way to the tree's crown in a matter of months. In its race to the top, the vine will wrap a tree so tightly it will strangle it. The leaf canopy will be so thick and heavy that sunlight will not reach the plants beneath it. A Conservation New England report says smaller trees have been killed by uprooting because their root systems were unable to handle the massive weight of the vines.
C. Colston Burrell and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden printed an all-region guide to Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants. It extols the virtues of American bittersweet. It's not quite as aggressive as Oriental bittersweet, but it too, can easily get out of control. It needs a watchful gardener patrolling the area, with pruners always at the ready. It will grow 20 feet or considerably more if not pruned. Birds love the king size red-orange fruits and play a role in the introduction of new sprouts.
Most gardeners value the sharp, bright color bittersweet berries provide. The American bittersweet berries are bigger than the Oriental bittersweet and they grow in clusters at the tip of the vines, while the Oriental bittersweet produces berries along the vine. If you're tempted to add a bittersweet, you definitely want to use American bittersweet. And you'll need two; a male and female to assure pollination and a good crop of fall berries.
If you're a gardener who just wants to add more color to your fall garden, Burrell suggest planting Virginia creeper. The colors are different, but equally striking. In fall, Virginia creeper has fiery red leaves and indigo berries. And you won't be patrolling your yard to make sure it's staying put. But if you're stuck on tendrils of bittersweet. . . My advice? Buy plastic.
Contact Teresa Futrick at esroyllek@hotmail.com.