Garden Escapes Are Widespread

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29239, 24 June 1960, Page 8

Garden Escapes Are Widespread

Just what are “garden escapes?” They are simply domesticated garden plants which have been relegated to the roadside, or distributed from seeds or roots by winds, floods, or birds. There are innumerable instances of them in older countries, particularly in England, where the red poppy of Flanders is common in most grain fields.

In this country two notable instances come to mind. One is the bugloss, or bugle flower, a blue-flowered annual which has been spread by the Ashley river floods and which makes a pretty sight along the roadside from Waikuku to Amberley in the summer. . It is a profuse seede?, and seems to come with the river flooding from the higher land, where it was no doubt originally planted and treasured for its associations with a distant home-, land.

Another instance is that of the showy montbretia which makes such a brilliant scarlet display on the main road, a mile or two from New Plymouth. It was probably dumped on the roadside when no longer wanted in some garden, and now makes a bright show for the passers-by in summer.

Many of our favourite garden flowers thrive well under these wild conditions, and can be safely planted in waste places without any danger of their becoming undesirable weeds. The violet, snowdrop and scilla will give beauty and charm to their surroundings and will never become real weeds. We can hardly say the same of those other garden escapes, gorse, broom and lupin. They are beautiful enough in their way; but are too rampant to be encouraged.