Watch out for this pretty flower
Green thumbs are being asked to watch out for a beautiful but toxic flower that could be growing in their backyards.
What you need to know:
- Every part of the plant is poisonous, and can cause gastroenteritis, thirst, paralysis, blindness, and heart and kidney failure.
- This plant is hardy and normal pest control efforts are often not enough to eradicate.
- The cape tulip, growing up to 90cm high with one strap-like leaf, was introduced to Aotearoa in the 1940s, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ manager for pest management John Sanson said. “Cape tulips, like many of these invasive weeds, are really attractive ornamental species ...but they escape over people’s backyard fences and into pasture, as these things often do,”
- It was classified as a noxious plant in the late 1970s after they were discovered to cause harm to livestock and humans, even killing animals when too much as ingested.
- The salmon-pink flowers bloom for about two days a year between June and December, and have previously been an ornamental species for keen gardeners.
Sanson urged people who believed they had the weed growing on their property to leave it untouched and contact Biosecurity New New Zealand’s Exotic Pest and Disease on 0800 80 99 66.
Once a site was confirmed, manual removal or chemical treatment would start.
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
-
5.1% Second half of November
-
44.3% 1st December
-
16.9% A week before Christmas
-
32.5% Whenever you wish
-
1.2% Other - I'll share below
Adapting Psychologically After a Heart Attack and Surgery
Heartbeats community-led cardiac support group is sponsoring a seminar by Vanessa Garcia, M.Sc. (Psych) Health Psychologist, on anxiety and dealing with psychological issues after a heart attack, stroke or major heart event. This also applies to cancer patients.
WHERE: Sunnynook Community Centre, 148 Sycamore Drive, Sunnynook
WHEN: THURSDAY 28th November at 7:00 - 8:00pm
Vanessa is a clinical psychologist and deals specifically with heart and cancer patients i.e. patients of major health syndromes. She will be talking about coping mechanisms and the resources available to patients across Auckland and New Zealand. Vanessa practices on the North Shore and has previously worked with HeartKIDZ.
Although specifically for Heartbeats members, we are opening this informal seminar up to the Public - everyone is welcome to come along, listen to Vanessa, and join in on the extensive Q&A discussion.
For more information: contact Trent at 0220 606 199
Loading…
