Honeysuckle Hacks Make Way for Native Plantings

May 06, 2021

A move to alternative landscape shrubs

There are many plants that are desirable to find on one’s property. Invasive bush honeysuckle is not one of them. It grows and spreads aggressively, forming dense thickets that crowd out native plants. This causes soil erosion, exposes bird nests to predators, and can provide cover for deer and their tick-borne illness. The leaders of the city of Ladue, Missouri decided to remove the invasive honeysuckle that was taking over their parks and invited two GCA garden clubs to join in their Honeysuckle Hacks.

BiodiverseCitySTL Network invited citizens of the St. Louis metropolitan area to make changes to the way they landscaped their property, including removing honeysuckle. As a result, the City of Ladue formed its BOSTA Committee (Beautification, Open Space, and Tree Advisory) which includes representatives from The Garden Club of St. Louis and the Ladue Garden Club. The group committed to replacing overgrown honeysuckle in Ladue’s Rodes Park with native plants and to converting the city’s mulch facility into a new park, in part by removing the honeysuckle from the walking trails nearby. All citizens of the city were invited to take ownership of the projects by participating in the “Hacks'' along with the city maintenance crew and garden club members.

The “Hacks'' became a yearly event for the two garden clubs, and three years later Rodes Park is replanted with native plants. Seeing a brand-new park being created from formerly honeysuckle-infested land has been especially motivating. For suggestions on landscape shrubs that coexist peacefully with native plant species and provide food and cover for butterflies, birds, and wildlife, click on the following link: Alternatives to Honeysuckle.

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