Return to the Gardening in Oz Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
Posted by weeddummie ACT Aust (My Page) on Sun, Oct 30, 05 at 6:34
| Dear aussie garden webbers,
I realised that my garden has a few common self-seeding plants that can seed quite quickly. I was wondering what aussie gardeners think of such plants - gaura (amazing how many have sprouted all over here), gazania (still easy to manage as it's a small plant), and another plant with orange flowers (lots of petals like a daisy. and when it seeds the petals curve into an scary looking inwards curve - I'm sorry I haven't ID'ed it yet...quite common here though).
Is the way to go around this to mulch thickly around such plants? But when the mulch thins down, seeds around will easily set and grow (not damaged by sunshine for long periods, say), won't they? Or should we avoid such plants? I'm not staying near a reserve by the way. Just wondering what your opinions are on such plants. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
| Gazania... KILL KILL KILL!!!! Hate 'em, but if you like them, then keep them. I like and grow Arum lillies and they are a weed in some areas. |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
| Is it your own garden or are you renting? I am sure you could find much more interesting plants to grow than gaura and gazania, and if it is your own garden there is nothing stopping you pulling them out and replacing them with something nicer. I wondered about the fad for gaura right from the beginning. It reminds me of wire weed, and I could see it would become a weed eventually. Really - it doesn't even look that nice, and it takes over a bed. I'm with Robyn - get rid of them , and the arum lilies :-) |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
- Posted by meggs WA Aust (My Page) on
Mon, Oct 31, 05 at 3:14
| Yep, the worst weed would be in my case arum lilies, very difficult to get rid off, I have dug, zeroed and they still come back. With the self seeded ones I have a sea of nasturtiums, just pulled out a whole mountain of them. I think the best way is to mulch heavily when they sprout, the thick layer of mulch kills new seedlings. |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
| Sparaxis, it's my own garden, and since it came established, I'm just about figuring out what's there, and how to maintain it %-) I do feel uncomfortable with the gaura's so far as they seed so fast. So it's up to me to decide their fate. It's disappointing to see it sold in many places though eventhough it's identified as a potentially weedy garden escape. I also have self-seeded annuals like cosmos, but they're really easy to remove as seedlings - so not so much of a problem for me here. It's good to know that mulching over seedlings can kill them. Ohh...arum lilies are potentially weedy? I thought it is a kind of bulb, from this little clump I see in my garden here. Does this look like problematic arum lily (a. italicum, right?) you mean? Pretty new gardener as you can tell :) :) I've also seen unwanted wisteria seeding on my frontyard, probably from the birds. Since I'm at the 'weeding stage' or my gardening experience, I'm actually surprised by myself that I'm don't get happy seeing (ornamental) plants seeding easily. You would have thought if it's a pretty plant I'll be enjoying it spreading ;) Oh well :) |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
A new gardener maybe, but clearly an intelligent one. You are doing the right thing taking the time to identify what you have growing, and determine whether it will be a problem in the future. You can certainly grow those plants, but if they already annoy you, it might be best not to. Mulching certainly does help suppress the tendancy to self seed. Remember seeds can also be spread by wind and birds, so they may self seed some distance from their original site.
Cheers, Jan |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
- Posted by meggs WA Aust (My Page) on
Mon, Oct 31, 05 at 9:04
| Arum lilies multiply like wild fire by underground tubers that look like bulbs, will produce many from the original and on top of that they self seed too. It is your choice whether you want this plant, but soon you will end up with more than one clump. The only calla lilies that I would grow are those dark and yellow coloured summer flowering ones, these do not pose such a big problem. |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
| Oh, I didn't realise that arum lilies can be that weedy - which I confirm is in my garden in the previous posted photo. It's in the 'bulb garden' spot along with the daffodils. It's not listed in weeds.org.au as a problem yet, although there are discussions about it. But the one thing I'm learning with weeding is to attack them while they're still manageable ;) I am confused whether this applies to lily bulbs in general though...how about Zantedeschia elliotiana which I have in small quantities in my garden now? pic |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
| These are the ones that do not pose a problem in my garden, they do not seem to self seed. They come up in summer, flower and die later. I think it is because we have very dry summers that they do not get out off hand. The white, winter flowering arum lillies are definitely a weed in WA. |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
| The problem with arum lillies is dumping. Most of the garden escapes for this plant come about by indiscriminate roadside 'deliveries'. |
RE: what to do about potentially weedy garden plants
| | |
| I just can't understand why people dump their unwanted plants!!!! Isn't it easier to place them in a plastic bag and put it in a rubbish bin? |
|
|
|
|
