It Stole My Compost Pile!

   Ruellia Simplex is a pretty plant.  It grows easily, has no known insect pests, attracts hummingbirds, moths and butterflies and blooms profusely from early spring to late fall.  How awesome is that?  What could ever go wrong with such a "perfect" plant?  Well....well....

  Also known as Mexican Petunias, this plant is highly invasive.  If you are not diligent, the plants will take over!  Not only can they grow from the billion or two seeds that spew from the pods, they easily shoot up from underground rhizomes.   Those can be ten feet from the original garden plot.  Plus, if you do not carefully destroy any trimmings, those can (and do) take root.  That is how I got my "garden" of Mexican Petunias.  I had one small plant in a pot.  My brother had given it to me so it was sort of special.  Once it got tall and lanky, I trimmed it down to about 4 inches and tossed the trimmings into the compost pile thinking they would rot and add nutrients back to the ground.  Nope.  They took root.  Every...last...one...rooted.  My compost pile became a sea of purple!  There was no scooping that rich soil for the garden as the roots of the Ruellia Simplex had become a gnarled mess.  At least, my "garden" had a healthy place to grow!

  This plant is touted to have many uses in herbal medicine.  I have not tried any so can not verify the outcome of using them but it is said to be used in treating everything from viral infections to cancer. Like I said...I cannot verify any of that but, at the rate this plant grows, it sure would be nice if something could be cured by using it.  In the meantime, I will enjoy the beauty (while keeping its growth in check)!  

The Compost Has Been Invaded!

  What started as a potted plant soon spilled over and became a garden plant.  Then, as things do happen, it spread a bit further.  Clippings were dumped into the compost pile and, now, the compost pile has the healthiest bunch of purple blooms atop of four foot tall stalks!  Did I make a mistake by tossing the clippings?  Will our place soon be overrun with ruellia as it is with wisteria?  Hmmm...both grow continuously, spread rapidly but have beautiful purple blooms!  Mistake?  Or happy accident?

  Ruellia Simplex goes by about a gazillion different names.  Mexican Petunias, Purple Showers, Wild Petunias, Mexican Bluebells, and Hardy Petunias are a few of the monikers used to describe the plants.  There are as many different names as there are people growing them.  One odd thing...even though most of the names label them as petunias, they are not even related to that plant.  They belong in a completely different family of plants. The plants are considered invasive in Florida and some other states but, for some strange reason, the plant is readily available at nurseries everywhere.  My start came quite by accident as it came with some "hand-me-down" plants.  In fact, it did not seem to be an aggressive spreader until it hit the compost.   The plant has always stayed more or less contained near the Frog Pond but when those "cuttings" hit the fertile soil of the compost, things exploded!  The compost has become a flower garden covered in a sea of purple blooms.

  Now the question...do I eradicate the plants or let them grow?  As the compost pile sits, I can easily mow around it and keep the plants under control.  Unless birds carry seeds far from the area, that mowing will keep any from spreading.  I have to admit that I do like the plants and have been studying a bit to see if there are other uses for either the roots or leaves.  In that aspect, things look promising but, on the other hand, do I really need to "farm" Mexican Petunias?

The Beautiful Compost Pile!

  Oh, my beautiful compost pile...how you make the yard lovely!  Yeah, you read that right.  What normally is an eyesore at its best, the dumping ground for foodscraps has taken on a new appearance. Literally, it has come to life!  Mexican Petunias, Elephant Ears and Morning Glories have taken advantage of the vitamin enriched soil. They are all flourishing!  No, these are not necessarily volunteer plants that grew from seeds.  They were spent plants that I pulled from the gardens and plopped into the compost pile.  I figured that any scrap would rot to make more mulch.  Nope.  Instead the roots buried down and took hold.  The plants are enormous now!

  While I should have taken a photograph of the entire spot with its new growth and happy blooms, I instead focused on a tiny lizard.  A three inch long, green anole was determined to catch its breakfast and had chosen the pile as its diner.  Good choice.  With the daily dumping of food scraps, there are any number of critters at the pile.  Most are there to dine upon the kitchen scraps but a few predators are lurking up under the lush foliage.  I have seen the green anoles, skinks and a Southern Black Racer stalking the smaller critters, such as insects, birds and mice, that visit. The compost pile is definitely alive with all sorts of flora and fauna. It is a complete mini eco-system all in a four square feet area.  At least, the huge plants decorated that corner of the yard a bit!

Just What I Needed

  Every now and again, something happens that just brightens the day. It can be an unexpected visit or call from someone dear to the heart, a handwritten letter arriving in the mail or just a sudden vision of a bit of beauty.  Since I have not been taking too many hikes about the hillside as of late, I have no idea what is happening in nature.  Mother Nature has been left to her own accords and she appears to be doing right fine. Whereas my gardens have gone untended and are an array of vast disorganization, Mother Nature seems to have the right idea about where things need to grow.

  I did manage to check on the citrus trees yesterday afternoon and came across the prettiest little garden that, more or less, has done its own thing.  This is one of those "volunteer" gardens that pop up in the most unusual places but, once there, seem to be quite perfect.  Next to the Frog Pond, an old arbor is about to fall to the ground.  All that holds it in place is the wisteria vine that refuses to let go of its prop.  Back a few months ago, I decided that the whole area needed to be cleared and started but then got sidetracked.  Nothing was done about the eyesore that the area had become.  I guess Mother Nature took things in her own hands and made the place a bit of beauty.  When I found it, the blooms brightened my otherwise dreary day.

  The blooms are Ruella Brittoniana which are better known around here as Mexican Petunias.  I was given a start of these plants years and years ago.  Even with vast neglect, they still are hardy and healthy.  The purple blooms add a bit of glorious color to a dark corner of the garden.  So, Mother Nature provided my happiness for the day!  She knew just what I needed.

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..