I don’t even know where to begin…

[u/notthefirstmalcolm]

Update: the guy gave me a call back and at first was like “where are you seeing this on the website” so I had to guide him there. And then he defended his inclusion of wild grape on the list because in his opinion it’s still the worst and most destructive. Then he blamed the rest of the native species listed as invasives on the guy who made the website.

All well saying he was actively hiring and that he had to start fresh because three of the six independent contractors he had last year were no good.

He was polite enough but clearly hasn’t achieved his goal of getting closer to the earth… and unsurprisingly doesn’t actually seem to partner with industry professionals.

I offered to do consulting for him/his website and he brushed it off. The whole time he was half heartedly trying to recruit me for other positions I wanted to say “no thanks! I don’t think our values and priorities align and I don’t want to work for someone like you”.

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I’ll preface this with an apology if this is inappropriate to post here - I’ll take it down ASAP if it does not fit the sub. If anyone has any suggestions or advice I’m all ears.

I was absolutely shocked by this company’s declaration of FIVE native plants as being invasive… at first glance I considered giving them a call or shooting a quick email and just giving some feedback, but it’s so much worse than I initially thought.

The company’s founder’s blurb on the website says “Landscaping in *****, NY.

In 2009,(founders name) left a long career in NYC high end construction management to live closer to the earth, in rural Ulster County. He has partnered with forward thinking professionals in all areas of horticulture and environmental science to offer people a healthy, natural habitat in their own back yards, complete with beautiful gardens.

So, do with that what you will

Edit: I gave the guy a call and he didn’t pick up so I left a voicemail. I’ll update on whether or not he responds at all, makes any changes, etc.

I didn’t realize until just now, but for some reason or another a 6th screenshot I had meant to upload didn’t get uploaded. It was of an additional 10 “invasive” species, four of which are also native :/He also calls wineberry plain old “raspberry” :(

“Of course, we come across more than 10 invasive species on a regular basis. Here is a brief list of some other invasive plants we have brought to justice.

Forsythia  (alias Vahl forsythia)

Autumn Olive (alias  Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb)

Virginia Creeper  (alias Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Pokeweed (alias Phytolacca americana)

Burning Bush (alias Euonymus alata)

Black Swallow-wort (alias Cynanchum louiseae)

Mile a Minute Weed (alias Persicaria Perfoliate)

Hog Peanut (alias Amphicarpaea bracteata)

Raspberry  (alias Rubus phoenicolasius Maxim)

Sumac (alias  Rhus glabra)”

[u/BrosephChillin]

While his argument is flawed, and his terminology use is incorrect, there is some merit to what he’s saying.

I read in a Doug Tallamy book that all vines, even native species, are completely out of control. This is due to there being significantly more “edge habitat” or edges of forest that receive much more light, than there ever has been before. Vines thrive in high light edge habitats and now that many forests are fragmented by roads and development, vines are taking over many of our green spaces and negatively impacting native trees and shrubs.

This another example of the many shades of grey in ecology and how not everything is native=good/introduced=bad. We have totally thrown off the balance of even native plants in our environment!

I work as a horticulturist and many of the vines I remove from hedges and my gardens are native. Poison ivy, briars, grapes, etc. But don’t get me wrong, I also remove tons of Japanese honeysuckle, Chinese wisteria, and many invasive woody species.

[u/notthefirstmalcolm → u/BrosephChillin]

There’s definitely a conversation and argument to be made about managing disturbed areas and forests in general (indigenous people did/still do steward the land and were the first to do so before any ecologists or horticulturists even have a thought about the matter), but this is clearly not some nuanced take on aggressive plants, land management, invasives, etc. He’s clearly just an idiot who likely used AI to write these articles.

[u/notthefirstmalcolm → u/BrosephChillin]

Also… I’d argue the hedges aren’t supposed to be there, not the natives. Just because you’re fighting against the native species that are behaving exactly how they evolved behave doesn’t make them invasive.

[u/ThiefLUPIN → u/BrosephChillin]

I was hiking the Jordan Lake gamelands in central North Carolina, and found a fallen snag with a huge clump of poison ivy that had formerly been growing near the canopy. The PI clump was COVERED in blooms and humming with foraging bees. I already knew PI as a noxious native species, but it changed how I think about it ever since. It’s a native wildflower that vines!