Beauty or Beast???

Oh geez..another of my plants is now an invasive species. I have never heard of "invasive species" until recently..perhaps in the past few years. Now it seems that anything..plant or animal..that transplants itself in any given area is labelled as invasive. I do realize that some can be harmful as they do overtake local plants, case in point..Cogon Grass. Cogon Grass is what is called an aggressive invader and indeed, does present a problem. Another in this category would be the Kudzu Vine, which has taken over and even buried entire forests in the South. Those are invasive species!..just saying..

I was totally enjoying the blooms of my Mexican Petunias only to discover they are on "the list". Now I am wondering if I should pull them out of the garden. According to this list of "bad" plants about one third of the plants in my gardens would have to be removed. I rooted the Mexican Petunias about four years ago and they are just now becoming a dominate feature in the garden. These plants grow to be about three feet tall and remain in a clump. Blooming during midsummer, they bring a much needed splash of color to the garden just as most others plants are beginning to wane. Another added plus is the butterflies and the honeybees seem to love these purple and pink lovelies. I am all for butterfly gardens and for anything that will promote healthy bee colonies. I think perhaps these shall stay..next to the Lantanas..the Gloriosas..the Scarlet Wisteria, all of which made "the list". Personally, I have yet to notice a mass production of seeds and have truly only noticed a small increase in the clump size. Maybe this is a "slow growing" invasion?? Or an "invasive crawl"! Perhaps this is just a case of survival of the fittest..or maybe a case of cultural diversity!..just saying..

Perhaps, we are too quick to stick something on a list, simply because our stewardship of home gardens is not up to par. Neglect of gardens can result in two very different situations..one.. the plants can wither and die if not cared for properly and two..some plants can run amok, growing rampantly to overtake entire areas. With a bit of attention, most plants are happy to stay within the confines of a garden, seeds can be harvested (even if just to be destroyed), rootstock can be controlled. Maybe we should all be just a tad more careful in the management of our gardens instead of trying to eradicate anything that flourishes. I wonder..will I be next to be labelled as invasive and if so..???..just saying..