June 7, 2012

When Did You Say You Were Leaving?


This is a post about guests...uninvited guests.  You know the type. Handsome, charming, arrives unexpectedly for dinner with a bottle of wine under his arm. And then moves into your guest room.  A couple days later, he starts complaining that the guest room isn't big enough for him and takes over another room.  Slowly, he takes over room after room of your house while grumbling about how it really would be better for him if the rest of you moved out.

You've just met 'Anemone canadensis'.

I didn't plant it in my garden but it's there. I am convinced it hitched a ride from the garden center with some Japanese Anemones I planted a few years ago. You can't fault it for its looks. It is absolutely beautiful and is at its peak right now in late spring.


Look what a perfect partner it is visually for my 'Francee' hosta.


But there are also astilbes in that flower bed and day lilies. What? You say you can hardly see them? That's because anemone canadensis is slowly taking over the bed. It spreads by rhizomes and seeds. It is very tricky to pull out, which I do on an ongoing basis. It is coming up in the very centre of some of my perennial clumps, so to remove it I often need to disturb other plants.

It has also appeared in the backyard, in another spot where I planted Japanese anemones.


Oh, and I just read it contains a skin irritant. The house guest from hell.  Moves in and gives everyone a rash.  Lovely.

12 comments:

  1. I have a guest like that - came in under a false name and fake nose - was labeled clematis vine and turned out to be honeysuckle and shamelessly promiscuous.

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    1. I have golden clematis that fits your 'shamelessly promiscuous' label. :) I'm trying to get rid of it too. I bought it without realizing that it was invasive. I noticed some in the park across the street and am afraid it may have come from my garden. :(

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  2. It does look pretty, but sounds very naughty!! I have bluebells that were inherited(they are not native :() I know I lifted hundreds of little bulbs, but they are back this year ???? GGRRRR I do like honeysuckle, mine is absolutely covered in flowers this year, smells divine, esp on an evening!

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    Replies
    1. Maybe one gardener's joy is another gardener's curse? But I think you've hit the nail on the head--the problem plants are often the ones introduced from elsewhere that were never really meant to be here (or there, in your case) in the first place.

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  3. I know the type, take their fair share of water, sunshine & love but still wants more. Smothering their companions is their way of showing who's boss. Plumbago. It is nightmarish. Spread under and through a steel fence and thick paving from the neighbours property. Thrives on herbicides. It is my nemesis.

    But your garden looks so lovely, even for the obnoxious visitor!

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    Replies
    1. I guess this type of plant is sent to remind us that we're really not in charge of our gardens despite our thoughts otherwise.

      Thanks Cindy. I've made lots of progress this week taming the jungle. Still have more to do. I hope people aren't getting bored seeing photos of my garden as that just happens to be where I'm spending most of my time right now. :)

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  4. i love seeing photographs of your garden and even some of its rude guests:)

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    1. Thanks Margie. You have a big heart. :)

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  5. I do know about the garden gift that just keeps on gifting...
    I have Bishops Weed. A garden club member gave me a start 30 years ago and I have been weeding it out ever since! Pass-alongs can be invasive!
    I too have been out in the dirt...all I think about are the gardens.
    You have lovely gardens. A work of love I imagine.
    Sherry

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    Replies
    1. Every garden has its pest I guess.

      A work of love for sure--as yours is for you. I never mind working hard in the garden. I get paid with beauty. :)

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  6. I read this post and saw those little white beauties and wanted to be sure before I left a reply. Yes. Those are the same weeds/flowers that are in the ditches up at my parents' place. I remember seeing them by the side of the creek growing up. I always assumed they were wildflowers and thought they were lovely.
    I noticed my neighbor up the street has them growing haphazardly is her garden! I guess growing them myself is out of the question now.
    Like Lily of the Valley. I think they're lovely, but I'd rather they were in someone else's garden! :)

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    1. It is a wildflower but a very aggressive one. It could be quite beautiful in the right surroundings. I have seen it in garden centers though which I think is a mistake. This is a good resource: http://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view-plant.php?ID=00064

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Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog and to leave me a comment. I love reading them. -- Kathleen

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