Don't let this noxious weed take over, but use extreme care when ridding it from your garden

Q: Should I be friendly to this beast of a plant? One of these "Little Shop of Horror" escapees appeared uninvited over the course of about five weeks in our garden. It continues to grow like mad. What is it, and do we want to let it go to seed, or shall we exterminate it before it takes over the neighborhood?

A: Your own version of Audrey II, the bloodthirsty giant in "Little Shop of Horrors," is indeed a monster plant. The intruder is giant hogweed, aka giant cow parsley (Heracleum mantegazzianum), and you can't get this noxious weed out of your garden fast enough.

But it must be removed with great care, for it's a phototoxic plant. The sap of giant hogweed makes skin sensitive to sunlight. If even a drop gets on your skin, it can cause blistering, severe burns and scarring.

It's especially damaging to eyes — even a minute amount can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness. And this nasty sap is in the leaves, roots, stems, flowers and seeds of the plant.

So gear up in head-to-toe protective clothing and wear goggles to cut it down. Dig out as much root as possible, bag it tightly and stick it in the trash. If you get any sap on your skin, wash immediately with soap and water and keep your skin covered from the sun for several days.

Here's the APB on this noxious invader: Giant hogweed grows quickly to 15-20 feet high. Its fat stem is hollow, bristly and blotched with purple. The leaves are lobed, pointed and as large as 5 feet across. Be sure to get it out of your garden before the white umbrella-shaped flower head goes to seed.

Native to Europe and Asia, giant hogweed was introduced into the U.S. as an ornamental in 1917 and is busy invading vacant land as well as our gardens. Please be very, very careful getting rid of the beast.

Learn more about giant hogweed at www.kingcounty.gov/environment/ (click on "noxious weeds" under "animals, plants and habitat).

Q: The past couple of summers, the plants on my south-facing patio have died. I guess I just didn't water them enough, even though I've tried to choose annuals and small shrubs that like heat and drought.

The patio gets sun most of the day and reflected heat off the house, and it's looking bleak out there without plants. Any suggestions for a few plants that will survive out there?

A: It sounds as if you have the ideal microclimate to grow Mediterranean plants. How about a few pots of rosemary and lavender for fragrant foliage? If you provide a trellis or arbor, you could perfume your patio with a hardy jasmine (J. officinale), which would luxuriate in the heat. So would architectural plants such as hardy phormiums, agaves, yuccas and cacti. Or you could grow troughs of sedums, which practically take care of themselves.

Your patio would be a perfect place to ripen tomatoes and figs and grow pots of basil, although you'd need to pay attention to keeping these last few watered regularly. All plants in pots will need watering, so you might want to consider a drip system.

Most local nurseries carry many of these plants; Jungle Fever Exotics (5050 N. Pearl St., Ruston, 253-759-1669, near Tacoma) and Mesogeo garden and greenhouse (www.mesogeogarden.com)on Bainbridge Island specialize in tropicals and Mediterranean plants.

To learn more, check out the Web page of Yucca Do Nursery, which offers a great selection of hardy, drought-tolerant plants for the toughest of conditions (www.yuccado.com).