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 "Pic-Of-The-Week" Irises by canesisters |
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"Pic-Of-The-Week" Irises by canesisters |
TheEasyGarden - Gardening ForumEasy - Fun - Fulfilling... How Gardening Should Be |
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When our homestead was much younger, I had a lot of ground to cover and little money. I planted a euonymous vine that did a great job of covering bare ground and making it seem landscaped. 30 years later, the vine is a bane. It climbs up the house walls, grows THROUGH the walls and covers over the plants I have added to the beds. As a result, I spend a lot of time ripping it up! It served it's time.
Likewise, I planted a native ground cedar, and rip it out...
My most recent monstrosity? A Giant Red Amaranth heirloom seed. The plants were stunning. They did rise to about 8 feet tall with striking red seed heads. They were so beautiful that my mother asked for some, even though I clearly described the multitude of seedlings we were dealing with. She is willing to do anything to attract birds to her house in town and I'd noted that the seed heads were great bird attractors.
Here at home, last spring, they were everywhere!!!!! Birds had to have carried them, because the seedlings sprouted in the most unusual places. (This year, they are persisting in a more manageable number -- in the hundreds -- not thousands!)
Anyway, when I took my mom 3-4 plants last spring, she asked whether they would come back this year. I assured her that they would, in far greater numbers than she could imagine. I really warned her! But, you know how moms are! She didn't imagine that to be a problem. Her friends loved the plant and asked for seedlings.... She and my brother enjoyed the plants. They were a source of conversation by passers-by, at card night, at church. When a passing hurricane blew the stalks over, they tied them back up and waited eagerly for the heads to re-sprout. They did, ending the season in a blaze of multi-headed glory.
This year, the small space designated for the red giants is ovewhelmed with hundreds of seedlings. They've pulled, and re-pulled. The red plague is sprouting in the cracks of the sidewalk, in her sedum bed, in every area of her house. I told my brother to take a blowtorch to the cracks!!!!! I shudder to think where the rain has carried the seeds, how the entire town will be ablaze in a riot of red seedlings, with everyone wondering where the plague came from!
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First year I had this house I spent over 100$ on bulbs to plant in the fall. Every single one got eaten by a mole over the fall, winter and early spring.
Wish I hadn't of spent the money on the bulbs and the time to plant them.
Other than that, I wish the birds hadn't planted a bumper crop of poison ivy all over this area...
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The cleome seeds I planted 5 years or so ago have turned out almost as bad. And it has little thorns, to add injury to insult! What a good way to get back at someone who has wronged you: throw amaranth and cleome seeds, and little pieces of mint root in their garden when they are not looking!
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I have grown red amaranth (Prince's Plume) before but don't remember allowing any to go to seed, Teka. It's partner, the green amaranth, looked for all the world like the pigweed growing in every field of sweet corn around here. One season, and I sure wasn't going to have that one again.
It's probably that "invasives" invade different parts of the world . . . or, don't.
I planted perilla a couple of times. I suspect that I'll discover one here at home this season but haven't noticed one yet. There were quite a few sown in the big veggie garden once - then, I learned that it can be a serious problem for farmers and take over in hay fields. It is only "kind of" edible and not at all suitable as a livestock forage. But . . . a few plants showed up out there the next year, then they disappeared completely. After about a half dozen years, I think that has finally happened here at home. It just wasn't a good enuf environment for perilla.
I wish I'd never planted Jewels of Opar, however. They are interesting plants but very nearly at the weed stage here in the yard 
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Steve
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Evening Primrose. Don't ask 
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I have about 8 million seedlings in the garden for amaranth...The elephant head type, not the love lies bleeding (which I really like and never reseeds....) My biggest regret is that little pot of mint, I brought from my Mom's garden. I was just tonight, wondering why mint hasn't taken over the planet. If the chickens would eat it, I could save thousand on feed!
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Moneywort AKA Creeping jenny, Oh Em Gee ,the stuff is imposible to get rid of!
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Teka!
You and I know ALL ABOUT red thumbprints, Beet red hands, and pull pull pulll...
Guarijio, and Dia de Muerte Amaranths. Totally stunning plants. Everybody wants them.
When ya harvest the seed heads, ya gotsta get allofthem. Failure is not one of those optional deals.
Teka, you and I both know. Maybe in town your mom likes them coming back.
One good thing though is, at 3 inches tall the whole plant is edible.
oh. another thing they are good for! They will tension the plastic a person may use for a bed cover by growing under it. Kinda cool.
I have Golden Giant, Warihio, and Dia de Muerte this year, in addition to Colorado Quinoa.
It will be faithfully and timely harvested.
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Uh oh, I had a packet of amaranth from last year that I just scattered in an empty spot to see if it does anything. 
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Oh, it will do something, Curly!!
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