The CT Botanical Society does have a nice website. I often find that when I google stuff, I end up at their site.

I am helping a friend with a big garden in a very wet area, and we are putting in some of those natives, including the red lobelia (cardinal flower) and the marsh marigold.

Virginia Creeper is gorgeous in the fall. I have some in the woods behind me. A friend of mine used to grow it up over her garage doors like a clematis. It was beautiful. I don't know how she controlled it, although the area was enclosed by asphalt, brick, the house, etc., so I guess that helped.

I may try doing the same (over the garage doors) but I think I will try it in a pot. I've been toying with that idea for a few years, but I'm still hesitant, lol!

:)
Dee

The list of rare plants on the site is really, really long. Check out this one:

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/arethusabulb.html
Arethusa (Dragon's Mouth, Swamp Pink)
Arethusa bulbosa
Arethusa is believed to be extinct in Connecticut.

Very pretty. I have never seen one in person. Has anyone seen one so they are not extinct (in Connecticut)?

That's a great site! I like the way you can search colors to try to ID wild flowers.
I used to have some of that red columbine in a wooded area in my yard, but I haven't noticed it for a few years. But maybe I haven't look when it's in bloom. That's the tricky part. Last year I found a pink lady slipper and some red lobelia along side a road I walk on. I'd love to find the Arethusa, that's just beautiful! It looks just too exotic for a CT native!

I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A LADY'S SLIPPER! They are so lovely and difficult to find in the wild now in Connecticut. White Flower Farm sells them as well as a few varieties of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit. They are quite pricey!!!

Wow, that arethusa is gorgeous!

What a great site. Thanks for the link evonne. Now here's hoping the bittersweet I grappled from the ground this weekend was oriental (invasive) and not native. In any case, it was growing up INSIDE my shingles and into the house!!

Amy

Evonne and Heirloom...the Bittersweet you have is most likely Celastrus orbiculatus, Oriental bittersweet. It is much more aggressive than the native and has become pervasive. They also hybridize together, so even if you did have the native vine growing near you, the purity would be questionable.

It is terribly invasive and will take down large trees if it isn't stopped. I've been removing it off and on for 4 years. I have cut about 90% on my lot, and just got permission from my next door neighbor to cut his too.

My mom says when she was a little girl in northern Maine, she used to pick yellow Lady Slipper bouquets! I was afraid to stop and ogle the one near the road, for fear some one else would notice it and pick it!
I, too, would love to have one in my yard, but I'm afraid to buy something so expensive and then have it die.
I'm hoping to go to Garden in the Woods next month and see some in bloom there.

Terrene, how are you getting rid of the bittersweet? It's pretty tough!

evonnestoryteller
I have never ordered from this company, but love their lady slippers!!! Just gorgeous. I decided that my crazy labs would more than likely trample them so until I create a spot they can't get to, I'll have to do without, but check out their site. They are sold out of almost everything for this year, but remember them next year! What a neat thing to have in your garden.
http://www.vtladyslipper.com/vtlscwebpg6.html

Pondlily - for seedlings and small vines, they are usually easy to pull up. For larger vines that are climbing up trees, I cut them at the base and apply a woody brush killer, such as Brush-B-Gone concentrate, as quickly as possible after cutting. I use a sharp folding saw, rubber garden gloves, and a squeeze bottle of herbicide. Some people make a 2nd cut at chest height or so, so they can easily see which vines have already been cut.

After cutting, the large vines can be left in place to die. They will eventually rot and fall down from the trees. In the case of vines on smaller trees/shrubs that I can easily reach, I will usually unwind and remove the vines.

Supposedly, late summer/fall are the best times to apply herbicide to woody invasives, because they are transferring energy to the roots at that time. Regular mowing will eventually kill a patch of Bittersweet too. There are probably a zillion seeds out in my yard so it will still be sprouting for years, I'm sure.

The link below is to a Document by the Nature Conservancy on managing Bittersweet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Celastrus orbiculatus

The bittersweet in the corner of my yard did not appear to be so invasive. It has been in a small patch for several years. I wonder how a person can tell the difference? I have not found a side by side comparison to find out.

In any case, my vine originates in my neighbor's yard. He is cleaning that back lot out, so I may not have any more. I did like it every fall though!

American bittersweet has terminal fruit and flowers, while in oriental bittersweet the fruit and flowers are located all along the stem.

American and Oriental Bittersweet Identification

Claire

terrene you are absolutely right. Went out to check the leaves this am (because of course there are still a few tiny sprigs coming up here and there) and the leaves are round, so oriental it is! I'm loathe to use chemicals in my garden, so it's more pulling, yanking for me. Although I fear that when a root snaps underground rather than coming out in its entirety I've just created another bittersweet oportunist in another location....

Evonne, it is possible your neighbor has the native species. If so, could you rescue some? I wouldn't save seeds, in case they are hybrids. The berries of both are pretty, but the invasive species has laid waste some nice trees in my neighborhood.

Just wanted to add - for those who have large vines on their property, I wouldn't hesitate to cut and poison them as soon as possible. They should be cut before fruiting this year, to stop their growth and eliminate the chance for more seeds being produced this season. Even if the herbicide is less effective and they resprout from the base, they can be hit again.

For some reason, I was under the impression that it would be difficult to tell them apart. I have the invasive kind. They have been around here since I was little, but don't seem to have taken over. I am not sure I have ever seen the other kind of bittersweet, but I would not even have known it was bittersweet if I did! I will have to watch out for those yellow berries in the fall when I am walking.