Beautiful Thugs: Commelina diffusa & Talinum paniculatum

Commelina diffusa

     Often times in the garden we come under serge by a myriad of weeds from far flung fields looking for new lands to conquer. With these invaders we often have no mercy in hacking them back ,tossing them to rot. They are easy handled. The ones who are the most dangerous are those which we ourselves invited, under the guise of being sheep when  the reality is they are horticultural wolves. Twice I have found myself guilty of falling for this trapped , lured by the beauty and interest  only to find myself pulling up the successors of these successful invaders.
    The first plant is to me the prettiest, enter Talinum paniculatum. A small freshly leaved perennial, this species in the the months of summer till frost features tall panicles of pink minute flowers which are excellent for attracting pollinators notably hoverflies. However it is what follows, that poses the greatest issue. This plant self sows with the enthusiasm of a marathon runner. In a matter of three years after its initial planting  it can now be found in nearly every portion of the back garden. At time forming thick strands. In most recent years it has experienced die back , indications that the soil has become sick with this plant . Often times when monocultures are formed the soil becomes deprived of nutrients  necessary for that given species and thus numbers drop  creating the condition known a replant syndrome.What remains after this die back are gentle drifts of Talinum which merge and link the different plantings. It is this gentle self sowing that is wanted.  Talinum is a beautiful plant that adds delicate touches of color where the gardener least expects it. along with the wonder of seeing where it shall come up next it has also been a wildlife attractant . Hoverflies do dances around the pink hue of its flowers in the late afternoon sun while birds come to feast on the seed later on in the waning months of summer into fall. The key with gardening with  Talinum paniculatum is control. Of the two plants being discussed Talinum is the easiest to remove. Please note that this plant does feature a tap root but this root comes out cleanly unlike the next plant, the blue menace known as Commelina diffusa.
   I did not intentionally plant Commelina rather it was most likely a hitchhiker from one of many nursery trips. It appeared as one lone individual but since then had spread to cover a entire island bed. Initially it was welcomed addition as its small blue flowers add a element of delicate charm. It spread rapidly from its initial position in till recently it was the dominate plant of the bed. since then it has been weeded intensively. A few individuals remain and the fact is I have no intention of completely eradicating them as I think in a limited number they can be welcomed. Commelina diffusa sends out small fang like tap roots. It is these tap roots that bear the problem. As with most other members of Commelinaceae the stems are brittle to the touch, so that when one reaches to dispose of the plant all it stems break cleanly off leaving the roots to regrow again. They are easiest to yank out when the soil is moist. The flowers of this plant also attract native bees and micromoths ( Microlepidotera). I would like to keep this plant limited to several miniature bearded iris clumps that are found in the same island bed. They saw provide interest later in the season along with extending the color beyond the self life of the iris. They can be inter planted between the rhizomes, with the rhizomes acting as a cage to stop the spread of them outwards.
   A weed is just a wrong plant in the wrong place and in the case of these two I have no desire of completely eradicating them. Rather I seek to establish a balance. The key to do this is not only the destruction of unwanted individuals but creating a more competitive ecosystem that limits self sowing to such extreme degrees. By intensively planting one is limiting overall space for self seeders but never completely eradicating them. The self sowing of such plants allows the creation of a more naturalistic flow, and should be treasured. Talinum is a tale of success in archiving this balance, one which I hope to repeat with the blue jewel that is Commelina diffusa.