558 days ago

Is this a weed?

Jenny from

We are often asked "is this a weed?", so we are planning a weed identification guide for our website. What plant in your garden is giving you trouble? Are you wondering if it is a weed? We would love to see photos of your problem plants.

The best definition of a weed is that it is a plant in the wrong place. Any plant may be desired and manageable in one situation, (perhaps on the other side of the world:) and a problem in another situation.

Nevertheless, it is sometimes useful to know that a plant is known to be a problem elsewhere. If it is giving you unwanted work, you may not be the only one reconsidering its place in your garden.

In addition to the better-known weeds such as wild ginger, Tradescantia, pink jasmine, Japanese honeysuckle, privets and many others, recently in our clients' gardens we have learned of a few more plant species causing significant loss of space and damage to wanted plants in some local gardens.

One was Tecomaria capensis/Tecoma (aka Cape Honeysuckle, a common hedge plant with hidden runners, which if uncontrolled spreads new plants and also grows as a vine).

Another was Thunbergia vine. One of many different plant species around the world known as Black-eyed Susan, this one is a rampaging vine.

Below: Photos of a Tecomaria hedge on a street berm, where it is controlled by pruning. Any new plants shooting up in the grass would be mown down.

More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

Think You Know It All? Try Solving This First!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

How can you make 30 using only the numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 with each number only used once?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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1 day ago

The Riddler wants to hear from you! 🎉

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Our daily riddles have been a fun way to start the day and spark some friendly competition, but we’re thinking about mixing things up—and we’d love your input!

What do you enjoy most about the riddles? Is it the brain-teasing puzzles, the themed photos, or the big reveal in the afternoon?

If you could tweak one thing, what would it be? Maybe you’d like harder riddles, different themes, or see riddles in a different style or format!

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Your ideas could help shape the next chapter of our riddles! 🧩

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5 days ago

Are you keeping it old school?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

We know that things come back around, look at vinyl records!

Do you still use any old-school technology (like landlines or VHS tapes) at home?

Let us know in the comments.

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