The colorful orange pods of the Chinese Lantern plant were a delight for the first three years they were in our garden. Then, I became aware they were a voracious predator, sneaking underground only to emerge twelve feet away in the middle of some other plantings. They thrived too well in that location and it was time to call a halt to their wanderings. It wasn't easy. We dug, sifting and lifting the most minute portion of root. Those roots that we missed sprouted up a couple of weeks later to say, "Hello again". It has now been two years since we eradicated this remarkable plant. So far this year, only one sprout has grown to greet me and my answer was a very unfriendly yank. But say, aren't those pods lovely?
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