Ruud Kleinpaste: Garden escapees

Escapees from the Garden  There are quite a number of plants that have become “pests” due to garden escapes. You’ve probably heard of them: Mexican Daisy, Bear’s breeches, Agapanthus, Clematis species, esp. vitalba (Old man’s Beard!). www.weedbusters.org.nz has a heap of them on their website PLUS: alternatives you can plant (“plant me instead”).  I am aware that not all “weeds” behave like “weeds” in all places in NZ. For example, agapanthus in Christchurch seem to be reasonably well behaved. Many gardeners dispute biosecurity thinking around invasive weeds: “My plants are not that bad! (a bit like “my cat only brings in dead birds”). 
In our bathroom we grow “Spanish Moss” (Tillandsia possibly usneoides). it’s a weird plant that hangs from branches in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas. Think Florida, Mexico and the Jungles of Equador and Panama. We grow it as a “curtain” in front of the south-facing window.  It doesn’t need a lot of care: once a week we dump it in a batch of cold water and hang it back up. Once a month a sit gets a sight spry/misting with some seafood soup and it just keeps on growing. Tillandsia belongs to the Bromeliad plant Family Bromeliaceae (Close relative of the Pineapple!) and it is an epiphyte: imply hanging from tree branches and not harming the trees at all.   Recently I was made aware that it is moving into the New Zealand landscape. These pictures (courtesy of Dave Holland – iNaturalist) are from Whangarei where Tillandsia seems to be doing well in established trees. The debate is now whether or not Spanish moss is having an impact on our Native ecosystems. Time will tell, but I have the feeling that it may not be a great idea to let it just roam the New Zealand landscape. We simply haven’t got enough scientific data on this. Birds use it as nesting material and that may spread it around. LISTEN ABOVE    

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