Re: What I wish I hadn't planted

I have to agree with my sister Karrie regarding the Macfadyena.  It spreads rapidly and quickly produces a multitude of tubers that resemble wooden sweet potatoes.  The slightest bit of a tuber left in the ground can grow into a fence-smothering monster in a single season.  We've been trying unsuccessfully to eradicate ours for a decade.

Sent from my iPhone

On May 21, 2013, at 11:28 PM, Nan Sterman <T*@plantsoup.com> wrote:

Funny, Karrie, I've not had that problem with Macfadyena but its good to know.  As for the Crocosmia, same thing here.  Just to be sure, Crocosmia bloom in spring, Chasmanthe in summer?  They look so similar that the best way to distinguish between them is bloom time

On May 21, 2013, at 8:32 AM, Reid Home <p*@comcast.net> wrote:

2 monsters:
Macfadyena unguis-cati: just like everyone else, I planted it to cover an unsightly fence, which it did admirably for a few years, and then it decided to take over everything, the Podocarpus, the pine, the Eucalyptus nicholii, and the entire bed below is filled with the little tubers that sprout from the many seeds in the pods that are too high up to remove before they settle in.  We are still working to keep to eliminate this, and will undoubtedly be doing so for several years.
Crocosmia: this is the tribbles of the plant world.  A neighbor gave me a few bulbs and they multiply so fast, you canât keep up with it.  If you want to naturalize an area, they would be great â if not, only plant where confined by concrete â though they will lift it up!
 
Karrie Reid
 

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