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Written by Anja Sonnenberg
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Giant hogweed has been surreptitiously invading Canada since the late 1940s. But in recent years, this dangerous plant’s secret identity has been blown as it has encroached on public parks and gardens. Lately, with more sightings heralding the troubling realization that Giant Hogweed is spreading, it has become a minor news celebrity with warnings to the public to stay away from this poisonous plant.
Municipalities across Canada are paying close attention to the situation. “Ministry staff is aware of the significance of Giant Hogweed from a human health and invasiveness perspective,” explains Mike Cowbrough, weed management field crops program lead with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). “OMAFRA is working with the University of Guelph and several municipalities across Ontario to identify best management practices for Giant Hogweed.” Other municipalities, like the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, have set up hotlines to report weed locations.
What is it?
Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is a member of the carrot and parsley family and is often mistaken for cow parsnip. Its flowers also closely resemble those of prolific wildflower Queen Anne’s Lace. As its name indicates, Giant Hogweed grows to impressive heights and can reach 15 to 20 feet. A perennial with tuberous roots, the dark reddish-purple stalks and stems of the plant are hollow and quite thick (two to four inches in diameter). Hogweed has large, flat-topped clusters of leaves with white flowers and large, flat fruit. Leaf blades of rosette leaves are very large and deeply incised–the compound leaves can span up to five feet!
Where did it come from?
Hogweed is an extremely invasive species originally from Asia and Eastern Europe. It’s still unclear how the plant found its way into Canada or how long it’s been here. Some believe it was introduced to gardens as an ornamental plant, or the seeds could have been brought by migratory birds or cargo ships. Today, it can be found along roadsides, riverbanks, naturalized areas, and yes, even your own backyard.
Why is it such a problem?
Giant hogweed can pose a serious health hazard for humans. The plant’s watery, clear sap contains photosensitizing compounds called furanocoumarins. When the sap comes into contact with human skin and is then exposed to sunlight, the UV radiation can cause severe burning and weeping blisters. The reaction of the skin depends on the sensitivity of the individual, as well as the amount of sap he or she has been exposed to. After 24 hours, swelling and reddening of the skin will be noticeable. Within two to three days the swelling will develop into painful blisters. Symptoms can last for several months and the skin may remain sensitive to UV light for years after exposure. It can also cause extensive scarring.
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Written by Tara Nolan
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My husband Chris is an all or nothing kind of guy. He’s an artist. A big idea man. And that includes his thinking about our yard. He didn’t build the kids a play house, he built a play castle. He hasn’t moved that metastasizing pile of building materials, because he’s waiting to have a full day to tackle it. He hates mowing unless he can finish the whole place at once. But I digress.
In Chris’s world, there’s no point growing corn unless you grow a whole batch of it. As in half a dozen 100-foot rows. That would take up pretty much all of our current veggie patch, which I’m not up for. Also, as a big idea man, he tends to move on to the next big idea, leaving the last one for me. I know I’m the one who would end up doing most of the work weeding, watering and pollinating. And with our short growing season, you’ve got to be pretty on top of it and the weather has to cooperate just right if you’re even going to end up with any edible corn. Take up all that space and invest all that energy, in a crop that might happen? So I told him, go till up a new patch and you be in charge of it.
Hasn’t happened. Mission accomplished.
This year he came home with giant seeds a friend had given him. We have always grown pumpkins, but Chris wants to try the “grand-daddy” pumpkin–Dill’s Atlantic Giant. I smiled and nodded and rolled my eyes internally. Scanning the seed packet, I realized maybe I should have been more supportive of the corn–these babies need their hills spaced 15-20 feet apart, and need a soil pH of blah blah fertilizer blah blah. My laissez-faire garden mind tuned out. At least hundred-foot rows of corn might give us something to eat other than bragging rights.
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Written by By Stephen Westcott-Gratton
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Across Canada, the state of one’s lawn is fast becoming tantamount to a public political treatise on one’s stance on “Issues Environmental.” We’ve all seen grass that looks suspiciously lush, low-cropped and weed-free—and I hope that we all shudder, wag our fingers and shake our heads; but by the same token, the opposite extreme—a neglected, weedy, disease-ridden lawn is equally wince-inducing. Surely there has to be a happy medium.
Here are ways to reduce water use yet keep your lawn lush.
* Dethatch and aerate your lawn every year to make it easier for water to reach the turfgrass root zone.
* To hell with Kentucky bluegrass! Overseed with one of the new drought-tolerant fescue turf mixes, such as Enviro-Turf or Eco-lawn.
* Turfgrass only needs 2.5 centimetres of water per week to remain green and healthy; overwatering can lead to disease. For heavy soil, irrigate only once per week; sandy soil, twice.
* Buy an inexpensive rain gauge (available at most garden centres and hardware stores) and remember to include rainfall when you calculate your 2.5-centimetre maximum per week.
* Purchase rain barrels for all your downspouts; what you don’t use for your containers and beds can be used on the lawn.
* Always irrigate early (between 4 and 9 a.m.) so water isn’t lost to evaporation. Avoid fan sprinklers that shoot water high into the air (where it’s subject to wind and evaporation); impulse sprinklers that deliver water close to ground level are more efficient.
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