Not in our backyard! - Landcaring with Lois

At this time of year, it seems appropriate to revisit our notes on a serious bushland invasion. The copious rainfall of the last year or so has brought a lovely lush growth to our bushland. Unfortunately, the weed invaders have also made the most of it too.

One weed, in particular, has thrived to the point where we will shortly see its white blooms blanketing our city in never-before-seen numbers.

Throughout the cool months, these 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 surrounding 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 roadsides, in the bush and in gardens.

Before summer is gone, hundreds of tissue light seeds will burst from their pods and be carried by the breeze to further 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 our Landcare teams cannot fight this battle alone.

Removing the complete bulb requires care as each scale of the bulb will form a new plant if dropped. When I dig them up, I cut off the flower stem and zap the bulbs in an old spare microwave.

Otherwise, it is best to bag them and put them into the landfill garbage bin. Just cutting off the flowers before they seed will slow their progress for at least this year.

A handy picture guide to removal can be viewed online at  or on the CPPA website 

(Just a reminder, too, while the secateurs are out, to snip the seed heads from finished Agapanthus to prevent unwanted new young plants.)

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!

Umali barai-ku (to do for the earth), the new Landcare and Sustainable Living Centre officially opens on 2 February with a month-long program of festivities throughout February. Visit the Lake Macquarie Landcare website to view the whole program.