invasive weed
pictures taken in june.
this invasive shrub was used to make hedges, and quickly became a pest. its simple flowers are a fun reminder of just how much cultivating has gone into creating the flower we imagine when we think "rose"! what makes it good as a hedge and wildlife cover is also a big part of what makes it a problem - its tendency to form dense thickets which crowd out native plants. the shrub can grow up to fifteen feet tall!
multiflora rose is dreadfully difficult to get rid of for a variety of reasons. it's used as a living fence and fills a niche, so it needs to be replaced; it's a big shrub, so you have to do a lot of work to cut it down and dig it up; and, according to my invasive species pamphlet, one plant can produce more than half a million seeds which can remain viable in the soil for decades. yikes!!
like many invasives, multiflora tolerates many different soils; it has a preference for full sun but tolerates some shade. its rosehips are eaten by birds and mammals, which help it spread its bajillion seeds across the land.