Re: The World of Weeds...
- Subject: Re: The World of Weeds...
- From: T* a* M* R*
- Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 09:14:23 +1300
> Tim Longville wrote:
>
> Serendipity is a wonderful things. In the post this morning arrived
>
> Towards the end, though, he discusses Tresco's exotic 'weeds.' The
> discussion includes the following:
>
> 'In addition to Freesias, Cinerarias come up everywhere, several
> species of Oxalis, Allium triquetrum and Nothoscordium are pest with
> which it is almost impossible to cope effectively. The latter plant
> introduced by some lover of plants as an interesting addition has
> proved to be a curve from which the gardens can hardly hope ever to be
> freed.'
>
> You have been warned...!
>
> Interesting indication of the limits which climate imposes: in my own
> heavy wet soil, Nothoscordium struggles even to survive. For which I'm
> duly thankful.
Nothoscordium, where it is happy, is in my opinion is a far worse weed
than Allium triquetrum. A lady I once worked for called it the Toad
plant to express her abhorrance <G>
I have never seen it in Wainui (for which I am truely thankful), but in
the main Hutt valley it is all to prevent in light river silt soils. The
lady aformentioned got it when a anighbourhood stream overflowed in a
cloudburst and swept it into her garden.
Unlike onion weed this can only be removed (with difficulty) by digging,
and one may have to delve pretty deeply. It has the same charming habit
as many oxalis species of producing a cluster of tiny babies round the
mother bulb -and unless you cna take it up with a complete shroud of
soil one or two of these will certainly contrive to remain.
I was totally horrified many years ago when the Alpine Garden Society
offered it in their seed exchange list and wrote a rapid protest (which
must have worked because they never had it again). I can't imagine why
anybody would want to propagate it anyway, as the flowers are small,
dirty white and very unexciting.
I wonder which freesias were weeds on Tresco? Are we
> dealing once again with the many-named Anomatheca/Lapeirousia/Freesia
> laxa, perhaps? Which even self-seeds here...
Could be, It certainly runs riot in this garden, but only in a minature
border, where I really like its cheerful face and do nothing to
discourage it.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata NZ,
where it's Summer in January and Winter in July.
