Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership, Author at The Harpswell Anchor

2 minute read

From the Community

Diary of a frustrated gardener: What to plant for a drought?

I watch with despair as my carefully curated garden shrivels up in Maine's extended drought of 2025. The plants I selected to inhabit their native landscape are brown and dry. Even the drought-tolerant Joe Pye weed has lost all sign of color.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

November 5, 2025

2 minute read

From the Community

A burning issue

Burning bush is an iconic shrub in the New England area. When driving through Harpswell in the fall, one sees innumerable examples of its stunning beauty. The bright red foliage of a burning bush complements many houses and their surrounding landscapes. The many visible benefits of burning bush obscure its negative ecological impact, which is so stark that it is no longer sold in Maine.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

October 5, 2025

2 minute read

From the Community

Pretty plant, persistent problem

Dense stands of knotweed line any number of roads in Harpswell. It's easy to identify at this time of year, when clusters of small, white-green flowers bloom along its stems. Knotweed's height — at times up to 10 feet — and its hollow, segmented stalks cause many to mistake it for bamboo.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

August 9, 2025

2 minute read

From the Community

Plant Partnership begins campaign against tenacious reed

While kayaking down a waterway on a balmy day, I noticed stately, 15-foot-tall reeds with fluffy tops lining the banks in thick stands. Waving majestically in the breeze, these reeds would surely part to reveal a pyramid or two. But no, this was not the Nile River

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

April 4, 2025

2 minute read

From the Community

Your questions about invasive plants, answered

Have you been wondering why your invasive plants keep coming back? Or whether your trees will die when bittersweet vines climb all over them? The Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership wants to help you get to the bottom of these questions and more.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

September 11, 2024

3 minute read

From the Community

Lovely loosestrife: A purple problem

Standing tall along streams, roadsides and marshes, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is easily spotted in the summer months with its erect, purple spikes.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

July 8, 2024

2 minute read

From the Community

Invasives out, natives in at Johnson Field Preserve

Just in time for spring planting, Johnson Field Preserve on Bailey Island is about to become even more beautiful. Now that the Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership and its many loyal volunteers have eliminated a large swath of nonnative wisteria from the preserve, it's time to bring in the natives.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

May 31, 2024

2 minute read

From the Community

Curtis Farm bonfire disposes of invasive plants

Drivers passing the Curtis Farm Preserve on Harpswell Neck on Oct. 13 couldn't have missed the smoke from a bonfire next to the parking lot. Once again, it was the Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership at work.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

October 23, 2023

2 minute read

From the Community

Contest invites artists of all ages to raise awareness of invasive plants

Those of us who live and vacation in Harpswell agree we are fortunate to be in such a beautiful place: the peaceful views, the hiking trails, the water access, the outdoor fun. But there are barriers to maintaining that beauty.

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

August 31, 2023

2 minute read

From the Community

Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership: Oh, purple loosestrife

Oh, purple loosestrife, why must you be so beautiful? With your strong, square-stemmed, upright posture peeking above the plants around you, wearing your cheerful, purple-flowered covering, is it because you're beautiful that you feel you can be rude and crowd out your neighbors?

byHarpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

July 3, 2023

Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

Diary of a frustrated gardener: What to plant for a drought?

A burning issue

Pretty plant, persistent problem

Plant Partnership begins campaign against tenacious reed

Your questions about invasive plants, answered

Lovely loosestrife: A purple problem

Invasives out, natives in at Johnson Field Preserve

Curtis Farm bonfire disposes of invasive plants

Contest invites artists of all ages to raise awareness of invasive plants

Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership: Oh, purple loosestrife

Library Connections: What’s new at Curtis Memorial

New book chronicles pioneering work of Great Island metalsmith and author

New artwork at Town Office highlights importance of wetlands

Harpswell Invasive Plant Partnership

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