I worked with my neighbor Micah Hargrove in November 2020 to wrangle winter creeper vine from several trees in his front yard on Ashwood Avenue. I encourage neighbors with this invasive vine to give this a try – fall and winter are the best time – it will protect your tree’s health and it’s more fun that you might expect! To find out about the tools and methods we used, please see the links below.
https://annebhoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/RemovingInvasives_Ashwood2020.pdf
https://annebhoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/WIntercreeper_TipsonRemoving.pdf
Background on winter creeper
The dense green vine winter creeper that blankets the trunks of mature trees and smothers flower beds may seem like a welcome groundcover in your yard, after all it does stay green through the winter, but it is one of our most aggressive invasive plants. When it is allowed to grow vertically up a tree or fence it is at its worse, because this vertical growth triggers blooming and berrying, and birds transport the seeds far and wide so that winter creeper becomes “winter blockhopper”. Another reason to stop its vertical growth: it injures your tree. Its foliage shades out the tree’s leaves, interfering with photosynthesis and weakening it, even killing small trees. The climbing vine adds weight to the tree and increases the opportunity for limb breakage or even toppling the entire tree. Falling and breakage of tree limbs is of concern for property damage as well as the cost of cleanup.
Please consider helping your tree and your neighbors by cutting these vines at the base of your trees every year, or pulling them out by the root if you can (fairly easy to do when the vine is relatively small and when the ground is wet). If your landscaping plan requires another evergreen groundcover in its place check out the native vines and groundcovers in the second link – for example Green-and-Gold. If you’re keen on providing berries for birds, consider planting any of the native dogwood/shrubs, or native viburnum trees/shrubs.
Article about the winter creeper threat: https://theoec.org/blog/invasive-wintercreeper-euonymus-fortunei/
Article about native plants to try instead of winter creeper – see evergreen vines on pages 3 and 4: https://www.se-eppc.org/pubs/TNALT.pdf
