Create a Yates account today!
Sign up to join the Yates Garden Club for monthly e-mails packed with seasonal inspiration, tips for success & exclusive promotions.
Plus if you’re a Garden Club member you can take part in the Yates Growing Community - a blog to share successes, get advice & win prizes in fun challenges along the way!
Enter the email address associated with your account, and we'll email you a new password.
Asparagus aethiopicus
Bushy Asparagus (AKA Sprengers Asparagus) is a perennial groundcover plant with sprawling wiry stems to 2 metres long, arising from underground rhizomes. The small flat needle-like leaves are arranged in clusters of 2-5, 15-25mm long by 2-3mm wide. Tiny (3-4mm long) white to pinkish flowers are followed by small berries that turn from green to bright red. The plant can cover a sizable area of ground, smothering other plants and competing for soil moisture with its dense root mat. It's quite difficult to eradicate.
Sometimes Bushy Asparagus is confused with Foxtail Fern (Asparagus aethopicus ‘Meyersii’) which isn't currently a problem weed in NZ. Foxtail fern has perky upright stems with bushier foliage, whereas Bushy Asparagus has more rambling, sprawling stems.
Yates Zero Tough is our go-to control, although seedlings and small plants can be pulled out by hand if you prefer. Larger plants can be dug out ensuring that the entire root system is removed.
Share
Share this article on social media