Regional Council notes

Jasmine and agapanthus are common plants found in a great many gardens across New Zealand and certainly abundant in the Wairarapa.  They are synonymous with the older homesteads and properties that we are famous for and often invoke memories of yesteryear.  The starkness of the standalone electric blue flowers of original agapanthus and the perfume of jasmine in spring made them popular choices for gardeners.  An added attraction was their hardiness which was an added bonus given the harsh dryness of the summers of old and the solid frosts that the Wairarapa can deliver.

 
These popular plants have a dark side however.  They readily invade our native bush and form dense mats competing for nutrients and smothering new indigenous seedlings.  They spread very easily meaning they’ll happily move from your garden into your neighbours and resist being knocked back. 
If you have them on a boundary then at best you risk falling out with your neighbours and at worst they could invade native bush reserves resulting in thousands of dollars needing to be spent on eradication. 
Unfortunately too, they are not the only popular garden plant which is really not best suited to our local environment for these very reasons.  So, unless you enjoy backbreaking gardening keeping these pesky plants under control, the best answer is not to plant them in the first place.  The question is, what do you use instead?
  To help answer this question you need only go to a wonderful publication called Plant Me Instead.  To add to its appeal it is absolutely free and can be ordered either through email or downloaded from http://www.weedbusters.org.nz/uploads/plant-me-instead  It contains many suggestions of interesting yet environmentally friendly plants to use instead of the old invasive favourites of days gone by.
  Check it out.  It’s a great publication and who knows, may inspire you to give your garden a makeover.  As for me, I’m off to deal to the agapanthus.
Adrienne Staples