#invasives

Not an ordinary window this, but rather a dangerous one. The window has some excellent burglar proofing. Now I know that you have a burning desire to see me reveal the secrets, but we will get there soon

Not what you will expect to see, as something also happened. Look carefully at the photo above, and tell me if you can see a big bird in the tree? I said somewhere else that one should be aware of first

The first time I saw this, I couldn't believe it. It's an infestation of some kind of wooly aphid that tends to colonise the Jade plants and it doesn't bother them that much but it's devastating to this

An example of a wind-pollinated flower Pig Weed or Amaranthus hybridus is another introduced pest in my country. It's called pig weed because it is fed to pigs although humans in South Africa enjoy eating

Blackjacks or Bidens pilosa are a real curse at this time of the year if you have cats. Even if I stay out of the patches that grow in the area, my cats don't and they bring them home attached to their

Tagetes minuta or Mexican Marigolds are an introduced weed with an unusual history: they were imported into this country in horse fodder used by the British troops during the Anglo-Boer war over a century

One or other of the wild lettuce family, perhaps Latuca canadensis, it's classified as weed and grows in disturbed soil. So I have a small forest of these growing where I have leftover excavated soil from

At this time of the year, there has been plenty of rain and the weather is warm, allowing the invasive plants to live up to their names. The Moth Catcher, Araujia serifera above is unusual because it's

Garden flowers this time: although these are called Honeysuckle, they aren't related to the honeysuckle family but to the Trumpet Vines. I have members of both the African Trumpet vines in my garden. Port

Few things in the garden are as despised as the dreaded clematis! Leave it unchecked for a few years and it will cover your house wholе. It's like the kudzu in the south USA, but at least winter slows

Yet another example of a pretty plant that was introduced as a garden plant and has now become a serious menace. Like many invasive plants in Africa, this one comes from South America. Most invasive plants

Himalayan Firethorn or Pyracantha crenulata is an invasive alien plant in our province so I was not surprised to see it when I went walking on Swartkops, it was one of many invasive plants growing on the

Mirabilis Jalapa is a native of Peru and prized by many gardeners but in my home town, it is a seriously invasive weed. It smells great and is called 4 o'clock flower because the flowers open in the late