THE WALKING KIND

PROLOGUE: I first want to do a shout-out regarding the excellent Angel Wings (Caladium) display at the Habig Cottage Garden Shop in N Indianapolis. I like and use Caladiums as an annual foliar embellishment at my place every year. The display Rick and his associates have at Habig's (Nora location) is by far the best I have seen. We should thank him/them and consider a purchase. In the attached pic the white forms (my fav) have been picked.

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The rant this month will be more tabular, less prose, less story, like my website addenda and some of the chapters in my Rantings book.

Many gardeners are frustrated when one or more plants don't stay JUST where they placed. This frustration is usually because the "gardener" failed to take into account the species reproductive strategy. This reproduction, both sexual and/or asexual, should be (but usually is NOT) a key factor one should consider BEFORE getting and releasing a plant species in your garden (the property you own/manage). Sadly, but not surprisingly, this info is often lacking or underplayed on plant information labels since it would negatively impact sales and that (not good advice or offerings) is the main concern of almost all garden centers. Behavior is more important than appearance and should be a prime consideration for all plants with which you consider associating, the same for people.

Why won't they (the plants) behave like "I" want them to? The plants as furniture crowd as well as the ignorant and uninformed people fall into one of these categories: (1) create a belief to their liking (make it up), (2) care but don't know (lack of understanding, ignorance), (3) know but too often behave contrary to what they know is best practice, and/or (4) reliance on info (which is rarely available and often inadequate and/or biased). Plant behavior can vary just like animal behavior does, although much is inherent/instinctive. And know this, there is nothing keeping garden centers from making and inserting their own warning label info OR simply not offering the problematic taxa. I addressed this in my RANTINGS book (2015) see suggested label below (p. 59). This warning applies not only to the walking kind but also to reseeders (taxa that persist/naturalize by seed production).

• the walking is by above ground (stoloniferous & layering) and/or underground (rhizomatous & root suckering)

• rhizomes different from roots functionally - essentially a rhizome is a horizontal (often underground) stem whose primarily role is storage and reproduction); every piece of the rhizome will generate a new plant thus one must be careful not to fragment; stolons are above above ground rhizomes that root at every node (think strawberry plants)

• walking rate various -- slow (S), moderate (M), quick (Q)

• rate can be somewhat dependent on the type of substrate

• if you're the type bothered by the walking you should avoid the taxa that do so

• see reseeding in my Ranting book (also an upcoming rant) and perhaps avoid these, too

• some of the walkers are also reseeders (all things must reproduce, or perish) the problem is when the population gets out out of control, rampant and beyond carrying capacity

• CODE BLUE for any of the !! (a challenge to eradicate) and beware all boldfaced listing

• consider an in-ground containment barrier to contain the walking and vigilance is required

• at least half of the taxa listed below are native which throws water in the face of the special largely manmade (geopolitically based) status NATIVE. Its just a word and attempting to shine light on this fact and the silly invalid associated presumptions is a common theme in many of my rants - see my US v THEM (Aug 2019) and PHYTOFASCISM (Aug 2023). The native plant concept is based on half truths, artificial boundaries and overhyped. Reminds me of the McDonald/Loggins song title What A Fool Believes or the line from Paul Simon's The Boxer, Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest. Wanting to believe something too much, thus unable/unwilling to be objective. Creating a one size fits all cultist delusion. Your garden is manmade - like taking a gear or screw from a watch and thinking that piece is functional. Out of content, thus irrelevant in a garden setting. The native mystic is a belief based on want, not reality. Sound familiar? I have heard the plant police insist that the milder term aggressive should be used should be used for natives (instead of invasive) to describe the same behavior. ABSURD!

A LIST OF 30ish PLANTS & PLANT GROUPS LIKELY IN INDIANA AND SURROUNDING REGIONS THAT ARE THE WALKING KIND:

The above pics are IRIS (top) and JOHNSON GRASS (second)

HARDY BEGONIA (Begonia grandis) SM

COMMON BLACK-EYED SUSAN (Rudbeckia hirta) MQ

BLACK LOCUST (Robinia pseudoacacia) Q !! (see my Aug 2023 rant)

BRAMBLES (Rubus spp.) MQ

BUTTERBUR (Petasites hybridus) SM

CLOVER (Trifolium) MQ several other members of the bean family (Fabaceae)

COMFREY (Symphytum spp.) SM

DEVIL'S WALKING STICK (Aralia spinosa) M

DOGBANE (Apocynum) Q !!

ROUGH-LEAVED DOGWOOD (Cornus drummondii) M

COMMON ELDERBERRY (Sambucus canadensis) M

FERNS SMQ

GOLDENRODS (Solidago spp.) M (see my Sept 2022 rant) many other members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae)

e.g., THISTLE (Cirsium) !! Q and SUNCHOKE (Helianthus tuberosus)

GRASSES (many) SMQ !! BEWARE BAMBOO (see my Apr 2024 rant)

GROUNDCOVERS SMQ !!

HORSETAILS (Equisetum spp.) M

CLAUSA HOSTA (Hosta clausa) S unusal for hostas

IRISES (Iris spp.) SM

HOPS (Humulus) M

JAPANESE ANEMONE (Eriocapitella hupehensis) S

JAPANESE KERRIA (Kerria japonica) SM

KNOTWEEDS (Persicaria, Polygonum and Reynoutria !!)

LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY (Convallaria majalis) SM

MILKWEEDS (Asclepias) Q

MINT FAMILY (Lamiaceae) many SMQ incl. CREEPING CHARLIE (Glechoma hederacea !!)

QUAKING ASPEN (Populus tremuloides) M

ROSE FAMILY (Rosaceae) many members SMQ COMMON CINQUEFOIL (Potentilla simplex !!)

SOLOMON'S SEAL (Polygonatum spp.) SM

ST. JOHN'S WORT (Hypericum spp.) SM

SUMACS (Rhus spp. esp. FLAME OF THE PRAIRIE R. copallinum !!) Q

TRUMPET VINE (Campsis radicans) Q !!

VIOLETS (Viola spp.) S

TRAILING TAXA (often then rooting away from the mother plant by layering, ASIAN BUSH HONEYSUCKLE {see my May 2020 rant} and some HYDRANGEA)

VINES MQ !! beware WILD GRAPE (Vitis spp.), PERIWINKLE (Vinca), JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE (L. japonica) and ENGLISH IVY (Hedera); see also my posts on WINTERCREEPER (Feb 2018 & 2021) and PYTHON VINE (Nov 2021)

And not to forget all the taxa that expand their initial area by simply getting bigger/broader.