The last of the rogue heliconias
The heliconias I had planted in the side garden bed had grown with wild abandon and had taken over the entire bed.....and had also migrated into my herb garden....yet AGAIN!!
I complained about them already here.
The flowers were beautiful but they were out of control....it was time for them to go.
They were not going without a fight however....those brutes gave me a really HARD TIME to dig them out.
The rhizomes had spread thickly and their mat-like growth was tough and tedious for my two (yes, I said two) garden forks to pierce through.
It was a chore that took me several days to complete.
The rogue heliconias from hell sure did give me a run for my money to uproot them....I think I even heard their maniacal laughter as I continued to sweat and dig....sweat and dig....sweat and dig.
True gardeners will understand when I say that I had to stop several times to change my soaking wet clothing in between every few clumps I managed to dig up.
How could such a pretty plant be such a beast throwing its weight about in the garden?
The soil was nice and dark and looked quite healthy and maybe that's why they grew so rampant.
Thank goodness I had a plant swap and another plant swap where I could donate them to others....but with a stern warning to be careful with their growth habit.
Even though I was glad to get rid of the heliconias, I am going to miss their flowers....maybe I'll consider growing a few special ones in a pot to keep them contained....yes I think that's what I'll do, but in the meantime what should I plant in their just vacated space?
Stay tuned.
They are beautiful in their own way but are rather the bully boys of the garden. I've just ben removing Alchemilla mollis which was (is) in danger of swamping my garden. For such a low plant (about 15" at its tallest) it has incredible roots.
ReplyDeleteI guess we get tricked by their beauty and even though we "know" that they can be invasive, we still always feel that we will be one and only gardener that will be able to make them behave in our gardens.
DeleteAre you sure you got all of your Alchemilla mollis out....I'm still seeing baby heliconia shoots springing up....lol.
They will be popping up all over the place for years to come! I like them but in a controlled sort of way.
DeleteYa hafta laugh! I am in the process of buying heliconias to plant. They don't grow anywhere near as abundantly here so I'm in no danger of them taking over. I wish I could pop over the ocean and salvage a root or two from yours. Of course I'd bring something to swap.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to send you some .....they're still a few baby heliconias popping up which I'm religiously removing before they get any ideas of sticking around.
DeleteGood luck and please be careful with your new heliconias...they're very tricky.
They would do well in a very large container…until they outgrew the container! I sure would love to have one, but I know I would have to drag it inside for the winter!
ReplyDeleteI take so much for granted here in the tropics...here I am struggling to keep them under control and you would have to struggle to keep them alive in your area.
DeleteI do intend planting a few in a large container just so as to have the flowers to admire.
Thanks for dropping by Pablo.
ReplyDeleteI had a peek around your blog too...I once collected stamps and had penpals from all over the world....but no longer.