We have had rain every day this week except for yesterday and that is good new! I guess the drought is over, but we still need much more before we can make it official.
I was fortunate enough to find someone on EBAY who lives in SC and sent me some Water Hyacinths. They have been outlawed in AL but this woman obviously was not aware of that as she sold me a big box of them. I hope they grow in my fish pond and help shade/cool the water. There were no roots on the plants and I am not familar with how they grow, but I assume they will root.
It is ridiculous how they will outlaw any plant that is beautiful, grows well and needs little assistance from mankind to keep free of insect and disease. Instead, they need to find a good use for the plants. Look at all the uses found for our nearly native Kudzu !!!! (by the way, I am a Kudzu fan from way back) If you wish to flame me on this in the comment section...don't bother; I've heard it all. I am not alone in my thoughts on this.
Some of the plants I grow that I have been flamed on are, Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus , Arundo Donax, Kudzu, Japanese Honeysuckle...just to name a few. I've been growing them for years and keeping them in check. It's not hard if you aren't the lazy type.
Well, since it is cooler today, I am off to pot up some more plants for the nursery. Have a ton of Trachys that need to move up as well as Papaya and Tapioca trees..later gator!
2 comments:
I'm all for individual freedoms, but there are very good reasons to outlaw certain plants -- especially here in south Alabama, where growth can get out of hand quickly. Our tall, intensely red native honeysuckle has vanished from our forests because the imported Japanese honeysuckle vine choked it out. Chinaberry (popcorn tree) is an invasive species that has contributed to the extinction of several low-growing native trees in the Alabama coastal region. When I lived in Thailand, entire water systems died after being smothered under rampant growth of water hyacinth. Plant it at your own peril -- you'll soon be ripping it out again when you can no longer see the water beneath its thick mass of tangled leaves.
I do not intend for it to get out of control...that is the key. Laziness is what causes problems such as you saw in Thailand. If you need to clean house, then you get off your butt and start cleaning! :-)
Post a Comment