Red flag raised about yellow flag iris
Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) is a member of the family that the other iris’s don’t like to mention. Yellow flag is an emergent aquatic perennial that grows on the edges of swampy ground and in…
From little things big things grow
When a property in the Motueka Valley came up for sale Lisa Hood knew she had found the place that she could pour her passion for nature into. The property includes a 2.9ha QEII National Trust…
Stamp out snow poppy
Snow poppy is an attractive low-growing, evergreen perennial native to eastern China. It produces fleshy, 30-60 cm high stems topped with heart to kidneyshaped, leathery leaves. Stems secrete orange…
Volunteer cavalry leads conifer charge
While many New Zealanders spent last weekend hunting Easter eggs, a crew of keen volunteers on horseback were out in their big back yard searching for wilding conifers. Wilding conifers are a huge…
Mignonette vine a messy invader
Mignonette vine is another rampant South American native, once thought to be an attractive ornamental in warmer areas. Its slender, usually reddish, stems climb steadily into medium to high-canopy…
Velvetleaf focus on fodder beet seed
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is encouraging farmers and growers who have planted certain varieties of imported fodder beet seed to check their crops for the presence of an aggressive…
Howick gets tough on troublesome weeds!
Residents in the Howick Local Board area are being encouraged to get tough on Rhamnus and moth plant - fast spreading weeds smothering our gardens and native plants. In addition to last year’s hearty…
Pretty periwinkle a real pest
Periwinkle is a common plant in old homestead gardens, cemeteries and woodland areas. Hailing from the Mediterranean, and once widely planted throughout New Zealand as an effective groundcover in…
Good Plants Gone Bad!
Most of the weedy species invading natural areas are ornamental plants that have ‘jumped the garden fence’ and gone wild. These plants were originally valued for their dramatic foliage, pretty…
Page 2 of 5