Bees are frequenting every available flower in my garden and today I discovered that they were nesting in the corner of the yard in the water drain that is fed by the rain water run off in the guttering around the garage. I really don't mind them and fortunately it is a part of the back garden that is not accessible to my dogs.
This photo was taken with my camera on a tripod on the front porch, zoomed in on the flower that was about 10 mt away. We had such a lovely clear day today - blue skies all around with the moon still visible quite high above the trees after 8am this morning.
This plant was given to me as a "miniature ornamental" from a friend's rockery and I planted it in a pot.
When I moved into the house where I live now it had outgrown the pot so I planted it against the fence in the front of the house. I did not realise at the time that it would turn into a monster!
The Prickly Pear has thrived with the recent rain and is now as high as the guttering of the house.
This morning I drilled into the stem and injected herbicide into the holes in the hope that it would
die off and dry out so that it can be removed and burned.
After all this effort I found out this afternoon that the herbicide I used does not kill cacti :(
Locally, the herbicide that is used to kill cacti is only available in 20 lt drums,
which means I will have to try and source a small quantity elsewhere - perhaps from a local farmer who has bought a drum of the stuff!
The plant cannot be removed before it is dead because it is very invasive - even the smallest piece that breaks off will sprout roots where it falls and turn into a monster-in-the-making.
(This plant saga somehow reminds me of the 1960's movie "The little Shop of Horrors" - hopefully I won't have to kill to feed it !)
