Hi Jackie,

Well, it's a Watsonia. Cal-IPC list one invasive species with orange flowers, Watsonia meriana (http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/plant_profiles/Watsonia_meriana.php), the bulbil watsonia, which spreads by bulbils (tiny bulbs) produced on the inflorescence. But, I don't see bulbils (yet!) in your photos There is also Watsonia fulgens which makes it onto other agencies' invasives lists and is one I have seen completely taking over abandoned yards.

Probably like Croscosmia, Gladiolus, etc. -- produces tons of really tiny bulbs in the ground, are easily distributed around, and are the devil to get rid of. I take the siege warfare approach: dig out as much as I can, first pass, then persistently, immediately, and diligently (over many years....) remove new sprouters. And, heaven forbid, never let them go to seed.

Here's the Pacific Bulb Society's Watsonia blurb and list: http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Watsonia

Thank you, thank you! I looked it up and that is what it is. Of course, it makes sense that it is native to So Africa - many lovely So African bulbs grow in my garden, but I will try to fight this one. Thanks for the advice on control -

Jackie

We have those they make quite a thick nest of bulbs rather quickly Mom hates them with a passion on the other hand, the humming birds love them I dug up boxes of them this summer and planted a few at the neighbors fence line where the moles and gophers come in (they don't seem to like to eat the bulbs)

They set tons of seeds if you let the tops get that far they also come in yellow and pink

I have that weedy thing also and have been pulling it out. I think it is Chasmanthe bicolor. Check it out on Google images.

If you pull it our scrupulously every year, you will eventually get rid of it. I would not let it go to flower.

Rosefolly

oooh, I think you are right, massidea. A tad early for Watsonia (though my W. aletroides is already budded up this weird, warm year) and the flower shape definitely fits better with Chasmanthe (though Watsonia can look something like that when spent, I was thinking). Same prescription though, deadhead without fail and keep after the bulblets relentlessly. I imagine Chasmanthe will be showing up on the pest radar, too, soon, if it's spreading like that in Jackie's neighborhood. Watsonia meriana was only as far south as Mendocino County in the 1993 Jepson Manual; it is now shown as being found along the entire length of the CA coast.... :-(

Photos of another species in the same genus, Chasmanthe floribunda, naturalized around Marin, San Mateo, and Alameda counties at CalPhotos: http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?stat=BROWSE&where-genre=Plant&where-taxon=Chasmanthe+floribunda&title_tag=Chasmanthe+floribunda and one of Chasmanthe bicolor, at Pt. Reyes in Marin County http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=363811&one=T

Everyone is correct who thought it was Chasmanthe - the flowers for Watsonia did not really match, but the Chasmanthe ones do - long skinny things. My Dh dug out all of ours yesterday, and was careful with the flower stems with the little bulblets on them. Now I'm sure they will come up again, but the first time I see one leaf, it will get dug out. Thanks so much - this forum is WAY more helpful than any of the others I have ever asked questions on.

Jackie