Garden plot: Invasives can wreak havoc on the garden

I’m not sure if I’m just seeing my garden with renewed interest or if it really is having a very nice spring, better than many others. I’ve had two amaryllis produce giant blossoms this year and don’t recall them blooming in the past. The nasturtiums decided to clamber up one of my stone pillars and on to the climbing hydrangea, which has produced a couple of blooms for the first time in its 15 years or so in the garden. I ordered it from Heronswood, a nursery in Washington, and it arrived in a tiny 2-inch pot in the early 2000s. It’s a wonder it’s survived given the lack of care it’s received. I don’t see it often in Bay Area gardens, which makes me think the lack of blooms dissuades people from growing it or maybe it needs more sun than my shady garden can provide. (Diane Lynch photo / For The Ark)

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