off with their heads!

You might have noticed the agapanthus are in full bloom at the moment. This is the ideal time to give them a good beheading!

Agapanthus are another weed nasty in the Dandenongs. Agapanthus loves the growing conditions the Dandenongs provide. Eventually it will take over and displace native grasses and groundcovers, it also provides a haven for slugs and snails.

It is possible to remove agapanthus by digging them up, but this is only practical for small plants. The finger like, fleshy clumping roots of the agapanthus make it one of the more difficult weeds to hand remove. If you are not prepared to dig up your agapanthus the only alternative to rid your property of them is to spray with an appropriate herbicide.

My long term plan is to get rid of all the agapanthus on my property but at the very least to prevent infestations I cut off the heads of the agapanthus while they’re in flower to prevent the plants from seeding and spreading further.

Agapanthus is currently found at 40% of shire sites and is the number 5 weed on the top 20 list of most prolific weeds in the Shire.

Did you know the Shire has produced a Weed Action Calendar for 2009. The calendar contains all sorts of practical advice and includes information about what to plant and what to weed out. It is available at the Monbulk and Upwey Community Links for only $2 a copy. If you purchase the Sustainable Gardening Booklet as well (a great read and usually $4 a copy) you can get both for $5.

The calendar is a terrific source of useful information and very attractive too, with some beautiful images of native plants. I thoroughly recommend it.