With all the recent rain, Kingston Frost Park has turned a crispy green. Quite a few indigenous bulbs have put out fresh leaves. Oddly two of them are named after vegetables: pineapple lily and pregnant onion. The hardy rock fern, as its name predicts, is once again gracing the natural rockeries.
 
Daniel and his team have transformed the former waterfall area, freeing old beds from kikuyu roots, replanting agapanthus and snake plant, which survived some years without much attention, and making space for our home-grown succulents.
 
Many patches in the park are green because three types of fast-growing weeds have sprouted. All three originate from tropical regions of Central/South America and have spread across warm parts of the globe. They’re growing at a similar pace and are the target of a current, urgent weeding campaign. Here is why its so important that we nab them now:
 

• One is quickweed, also known as chickweed (Galinsoga parviflora). It has a very short life cycle, meaning it has seeded within less than two months of sprouting. Interestingly it has culinary uses in various parts of the world and is known as an emergency food during famine. Find out more

 

• The second is probably the best known weed, black-jack (Bidens pilosa). This weed gives us three months from sprouting till it has seeded. Once seeded, one can’t weed them without getting the spiky seeds attached to one’s socks, t-shirts, shoelaces and trousers. They also very cleverly fall off while one is weeding, ensuring the lifecycle continues. The broad-leafed version is a popular vegetable, particularly in rural KZN. Find out more 

 

• The third is morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) a fast-growing annual creeper. Before its invasiveness was recognised, it was introduced around the globe as an ornamental plant. Its very small seeds can spread by wind, and given that its still seen flowering in some large gardens in Auckland Park, it will remain a recurring menace in Kingston Frost Park. Once sprouted, it grows deep roots as fast as it climbs into shrubs and trees. It should be noted that this is not edible, and some parts of it can do harm if ingested. Find out more here