A Death Hedge Plant Idea

I wrote in a previous post that I am planning to install an impenetrable hedge at the front of our new property.

Christa has a plant suggestion:

“You mentioned one of the things you wanted to do was plant a TERRIFYING DEATH HEDGE and I thought that you must try The Cherokee Rose. My daughter and son in law sent me a little plant from ANTIQUE ROSE EMPORIUM because they had named their firstborn, Cherokee Rose. Well, it was a sweet thought but this thing is a monster that could compete with The Little Shop of Horrors. I have a small yard and cut the rose back vigorously a few times a year. I am afraid it will take out an unwary pedestrians eye as it reaches over my 6 ft. fence with menacing tentacles. I don’t have the heart to take it out….yet, but have thought it would make a great barrier to keep large animals and/or people out, or in, a certain space. It blooms gloriously once in the Spring. Just an idea.”

I do not know much about roses, so I looked the variety up. According to the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas:

“A native of southern China and Taiwan, this rose was introduced early to North America and has now become thoroughly established here. It was first botanically described from a specimen growing in Georgia and is that state’s official flower. ‘The Cherokee Rose’ is a mounding bush to about 5 feet, or a thickly foliaged climber to 15 feet with neat, apple-green leaves. In the spring, fragrant, pure white, 5-petaled flowers appear and cleanly drop their petals to disclose star-shaped sepals. It is one of the best for naturalizing in the South since it does not sucker (unlike the ‘Macartney Rose’, with which it is often confused) and offers an outstanding floral display in return for very little care.”

It sounds like a good candidate. Beautiful and vicious!

My current death hedge plant list for the new property includes osage orange, black locust, silverthorn, trifoliate orange and Mysore raspberry. I’ll add Cherokee rose (and perhaps some other roses) to the list. There are half-wild pink roses with terrible thorns and very long, rambling canes, growing about old homesteads here. Daisy started some from cuttings already. I should have thought of using them!

Good idea, Christa.

Share this post!