Monthly Archives: November 2007

The front part of my open concept community garden started off as a medicinal garden. Due to inconsiderate harvesting that led to untidiness, it was converted to an ornamental garden where the cannas and loniceras now stand.

Cannas and loniceras are, of course, more ornamental than the original medicinal herbs. Many visitors who stepped in the garden are not aware that these two plants also have medicinal uses, although they are better known for their ornamental value.

Those medicinal herbs that made way for these ornamentals are making a comeback in the plots where they originally grew. Earlier they are wanted and now they are not. They have now become a nuisance as they have sprouted all over the place in the garden, such as in between the crevices between the masonry. Some of them grew quite rapidly that they form a carpet in some of the plots.

In this first part, let me show you some of the herbs that have kind of become a nuisance in the garden. They are very difficult to eradicate, so think twice before considering to grow them in your garden. They can either come back via the small bits of broken stems in the soil or via the numerous seeds that are dispersed when the fruits are ripe.

Phyla nodiflora (Capeweed, 过江藤) is a member of Verbenaceae. A herbaceous, prostrating vine that grows very quickly and attracts butterflies.

Plantago asiatica (车前草) is a rosette-growing herb belonging to the Plantaginaceae family. The seeds are easily dispersed and grows anywhere, regardless of the soil’s fertility.  Sprouts even from the crevices between the bricks and so on.

Alternanthera sessilis (Sessile Joyweed, 红田乌) is a member of the Amarantaceae. The plants are not easily to uprooted and the fine stems of this plant break easily! The remains of the stems are probably where the plants grow to make a comeback. The numerous small seeds that this plant produces is another means of spreading itself.