Monday, September 26, 2011

Pandemonium, peace, petunias...OH MY!

Pandemonium: chaos, mayhem, bedlam, racket, uproar, and hubbub, peace: calm, quiet stillness, tranquility, silence, harmony, and serenity, petunias: purple of the Mexican persuasion…
What do these words have to do with one another?
Nothing one might say.
But you would be very, very wrong.
Personally I love my Mexican petunias and to me they are not only beautiful to look at and easy to maintain they are prolific in their growth pattern and that seems to be the so-called problem with them…hmm?
Yes!
Sadly these meek and mild and very likable plants that spread without much assistance are considered an invasive breeder and hard to kill, and are somewhat considered illegal aliens… BUT I BOUGHT THEM YEARS AGO AT A HOME STORE here right here in Port Charlotte!
And to my knowledge they still sell them.
They are also in many public buildings surroundings gardens including Fisherman’s Village.
So what’s the big deal?
”WARNING
Mexican petunia is listed as a Category I invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. This means that it is "altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives". This warning applies to all parts of the state of Florida (and other areas with similar mild climates). Where hardy, the Mexican petunia excels at invading wetlands.”
From the below site:


Copyright 1996 - 2010
Floridata.com LC
Tallahassee, Florida USA



I’m so confused and it’s so pretty and why do they sell them to unsuspecting people to share with friends and neighbors, and even relatives, etc…?
You know some things should come with a warning, ya know?
I did not realize that while I thought I was spreading beauty I was actually spreading pandemonium and not much peace of what I thought to be an easy care plant for the masses which in turn would mean peace of mind… how could I be so wrong?
I feel dreadful.
Little did I think at this point in my life I would be spreading a cancer of flora throughout our delicate ecosystem?
Below are the innocent looking criminals or as many call them bad plants to raise in your loving well-meaning home:




DO NOT BE FOOLED! THEY ARE THE UNWANTED CULPRITS OF OUR STATE ENVIROMENTAL ECO SYSTEMS BALANCE GUYS OR IS IT GALS?
NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE!

I suppose there could be something to all the hoopla since Hubby has been known to have to remove them from our lawn where they took it upon themselves to root themselves into and tried hard to multiply!
We find the best way to handle the problem is to keep them contained in our backyard; the ones above are out in our front garden.
They make a lovely three foot privacy fence/hedge along our one side where we still have a chain-link fence so we can see out to the west for sunsets and we also have very lovely Plumbagos and Allamandas as well decorating the fence down to the canal in alternating colors of yellows (Allamandas) and blues (Plumbagos) and purples (Mexican petunias).
To me, it is a festival of color.


On this incredible realism of a time where nature and innocence could be lost forever and do not pleasantly jive in harmony… With my heavy sad heart now due to my no good gardening ways being exposed… allow me to be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and to share those overages and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear?

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