Re: WEEDS and weeds

Fred Bauder wrote:
 
> By weed I (and most weed control folks) mean extremely invasive inedible
> or poisonous plants.  Most of what a gardener might consider a weed does
> not fall in this category.  For example, leafy splurge, whiteweed,
> Russian knapweed, Canadian Thistle, Yellow flowered thistle (the weed
> that ate California).  Plants like milkweed, yarrow, ragweed, pigweed,
> kochia are not much of a problem, most of them are edible and if (for
> some reason you wanted to eradicate them, easily eradicated, even with
> mechanical controls.
> 
> Serious weeds ruin land for grazing or the growing of any other plant...
> One problem the extremely invasive weeds do (here kudsu is the example)
> is drive out and even cause the extinction of native vegetation.  A lot
> of this sort of problem in New Zealand I know, even clemantis is a
> problem, imagine that...
> 
Fred
For the uninitiate I must hasten to explain that it is not just any
Clematis but specifically C vitalba, an English species known as
Traveller's Joy. This has invaded and smothered large tracts of bush in
some areas and big money is being put into trying to control it. It has
undistingushed flowers and numerous typical light fluffy seeds and I
suspect it came in by mistake, as I can't really imagine anybody being
enthusiastic about growing it.

All other imported Clematis species as far as I know are well behaved
and confine themselves tidily to gardens. We do have also several wild
species, all evergreens, some of which are very garden worthy. One in
particular C. paniculata, while a vigorous climber nevertheless manages
to live perfectly happily with it supporting tree(s) without smothering.
It is a great feature of both bush and scrub around here bearing great
swathes of pure white waxy flowers in  spring visble from quite a
distance. It domesticates with great ease and I have one in my own
garden (bought from a garden centre, not filched from the wild) which is
an  increasing joy every year..

Moira

-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand. (on the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
Lat. 41:16S Long. 174:58E. Climate: Mediterranean/Temperate
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