Multiflora Rose

This picture is of the farm we had in NE Seward County NE after the native grass we seeded  become well established. I am standing next to the Multiflora Rose "living fence" that we planted on the 2 sides of the quarter section farm next to the county roads. Multiflora Rose was used as Quail habitat back at the time of the picture in the late 1960's. It made an attractive field "border",  but it lost favor as it tended to spread beyond the initial row. Maintenance of county roads also was a factor in its demise as chemical weed control became  more prevalent in the '70's. It did provide ideal Quail habitat with the berries it produced and the protection it afforded from predators. We sold the farm several years ago but drive out past it every fall. The farm is still in grass and has been used for summer grazing . However, cool season Brome Grass has largely crowded out the Native Bluestem, Indian, Switch and Sand Love grass that I had seeded and what is shown in the picture. There was a small amount of Brome in the original mixture but didn't expect it to become so aggressive. The change may have been because of the way it was managed, fertilized and the weather. Interestingly, the last time we looked, there were still a few Multiflora Rose plants surviving in "out of the way" places.