Now that I have your attention - it is Amaryllis belladonna of which I speak. I've never planted any, but have seen them pop up in summer in two or three places, seemingly out of nowhere as the leaves are long gone by the time the rather showy pink flowers emerge. While I'm not a huge fan of large lily blooms it seemed churlish to get rid of them - same with the agapanthus that were inherited.
Having recently found out what they are called I did some reading and now I'm thinking that digging up their bulbs might be justified after all. They're not an Australian native, although widely naturalised here, originating from Cape Province in South Africa. All parts of the plant are poisonous and, most importantly, they are listed as an environmental weed in South Australia, Victoria and WA. I've been unable to find out why that is so. I would think it unlikely that they crowd out native species - perhaps it's to do with their potential to get into pasture and poison livestock. If you do know, please share.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2020
|