Free bunch of Formosa flowers available from your local bushland.
Do you remember our formidable foe the Formosa Lily?
Throughout the cool months, the aggressive
invaders have been lying in wait underground, in the form of a garlic-like
bulb. In spring the new green stalks grow surreptitiously among the greenery,
but by January it is difficult not to notice the tall, waving trumpet-shaped
white flowers of the elegant Taiwan (or Formosa) Lily along our peninsula.
Before summer is gone, hundreds of tissue light seeds will burst from their
pods and be carried by the breeze to surrounding bushland, backyards and
gardens.
Unfortunately, these weeds have no enemies in
the world of nature and can proliferate unimpeded. Thank goodness for the many
local residents who have been working hard to arrest their spread. One reported
that the goal of a lily-free garden was in sight, executed a few at a time over
a period of weeks. Action such as this is so heartening, because, as Coal Point
is almost an island, the Landcare team see this as a winnable war.
Removing the complete bulb requires care as each
scale of the bulb will form a new plant if dropped. When you dig them up, it is
best to bag them and put them into the landfill garbage bin. A handy
picture guide to removal is
still available online .
If digging isn’t your thing just cutting off the
flowers before they seed will slow their progress for at least this year. Just
a reminder, too, while the secateurs are out, to snip the seed heads from
finished Agapanthus to prevent unwanted new young plants in the local bushland.
The elegant Formosa Lily does have an innocuous
look-alike in the beautiful November Lily. The greatest difference is the
November Lily’s contentment in staying right where it has been planted!
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