Thanks for posting this. I made my donation yesterday. I've seen that garden bed -- if they don't get a handle on the invasive Himalayan blackberries, they may lose some unique and valuable cultivars.

Save the Roses from the Himalayan Blackberries

Rosefolly

Thank you, John. This is so important! Critical. Carol

moving up - this is so so important

If you don't know the culprit here, let me introduce you to Rubus armeniacus, aka the dreaded Himalayan blackberry. Like all brambles, it spreads by runner (and SEEDS! The birds love it), but in this case, if you give it an inch, it takes ten miles. It has become invasive in every single area it has ever been introduced. There is NO containing in it a garden setting. Not happening. So this is not about unfounded panic; it's a real emergency.

It is the WORST thing I ever let into my garden. Yes, I introduced it willingly and it has been laughing diabolically at my naivete ever since. It supposedly is barely hardy here, but it has gamboled and pranced through my hardpan red clay soil as if it were woodland loam. I planted one scraggly twig about six years ago, now I have an in-eradicable, impassable patch at least 50' across. It's almost time for Roundup, because nothing else has worked and I HAVE to control it before it reaches the perennial beds.

So you can imagine what it would be like for this despicable character to get a toe-hold in beds of rare and one of a kind roses. If it behaves like it does in my garden where it is "barely hardy", picture its behavior in CA with its longer growing season! FOVR is facing a monumental task to remove these brambles without destroying the roses in the process. The manual removal is not a certain solution, because the tiniest bit of root remaining will re-sprout...AFTER sending out three more runners before it shows above ground. So besides your donations (please, please, please donate) if you are local it would be a godsend if you could donate your time as a volunteer. I'm on the opposite side of the country, so it's easy for me to say, but if I COULD, I WOULD.

Please give your dollars, and your time if you can.

John

Thanks Rosefolly for the link! I donated yesterday because I would love to see those roses one day and I have a secret hope that Vintage will open its doors again someday!

We call we call this Blackberry "Fruiting Kudzu" here in the PNW. Horrible, horrible thing. Did you know Luther Burbank introduced it to the US? Gee, thanks Luther :-(

Paul, I didn't know that. Luther Burbank did a lot of wonderful things for horticulture and gardening in general....this wasn't one of them, lol.

Thanks for sharing the link, I happily made a donation to the cause. 60% of my roses came from Vintage Garden. I miss them...

The fundraiser is only at 18% of the goal of $10,000. Please donate if you're able.

Yes, there are other things in this world that are more important, but I'm talking to ROSE people, here ;) The gardens have already lost at least one rarity, Typ Kassel. This is a REMONTANT centifolia. Any re-blooming centifolia is worth saving. It is almost unknown, and not in commerce. FOVR had three plants, and all were lost due to the Himalayan blackberry infestation. Read more about it at the bottom of the donation site. You may have to click on "see all updates" for it to show up.

Save the roses from the Himalayan Blackberries

Maybe after Christmas donations will pick up

I have donated. I have experience with invasive plants in my yard. The sub division I live in was built on wooded land. They took out most of the trees but left a greenbelt that my house is next to. I had poison ivy, wild brambles, muscadine, japanese honeysuckle and other invasive weeds. I finally had to resort to RU because the honey suckle in particular was creeping into the lawn. There is a special RU for poison ivy and other woody vines and weeds. I did have to do 3 applications in one year. But it's been clear ever since. I know most of us hate to use RU, but sometimes you have to.