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Green up your garden and keep invaders out advise Plantlife & the RHS

A new booklet by Plantlife and the Royal Horticultural Society aims to help gardeners avoid problem plants.

August 06 2010

Invasive plants can be a nuisance in our gardens, and cause serious problems in our environment if they escape into the wild. A new booklet published by Plantlife and the Royal Horticultural Society is now available to help gardeners make informed choices about the plants they buy for their gardens and avoid problems in the future.

What is the problem?

With more than 70,000 plants available to buy for our gardens, it is no wonder we are a nation of gardeners – we are spoilt for choice.

However, there are a few plant species that can cause gardeners problems as they have the potential to spread quickly and take over a pond or an area of garden unless rigorously controlled.

Invasive non-native plants can cause even bigger problems if they then escape into the wild where there are no gardeners to prune or control them.

Around 60% of all problem plants damaging our natural habitats originate from gardens. Removing them from the wild, particularly from important nature conservation sites, can be expensive and difficult. Many hundreds of thousands of pounds are spent each year in an effort to limit the spread of invasive plant species.

What is the solution?

"There are hundreds of beautiful plants that can be used in place of invasive plants, and our booklets highlight some stunning examples people can try."

Sophie Thomas, Plantlife Invasives Officer

Plantlife and the Royal Horticultural Society, with funding from Defra, the Scottish Government and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, have produced a new booklet to help gardeners choose plants that are less likely to cause problems to the environment should they escape from gardens.

Even the most diligent gardener cannot ensure that plants do not spread over the garden wall - as berries and seeds can be carried away by birds or the wind. The booklet is one of a series of three aimed at gardeners, pond and aquarium keepers, and landscape gardeners.

Sophie Thomas, Plantlife’s Invasives Officer, said: “Often people aren’t aware that their choices over which plants to grow in their gardens can make a vital difference to protecting the natural environment.

The good news is that if we all do our bit, trying to avoid invasive plants in the first place and taking care to dispose of all garden and pond waste responsibly, then the threat from these problem plants to our wild plants and animals will be much reduced.

There are hundreds of beautiful plants that can be used in place of invasive plants, and our booklets highlight some stunning examples of plants people can try.”

John David, RHS Chief Scientist, said: “While only a tiny percentage of our garden plants cause problems in natural habitats, invasive plants are an increasing problem with real impacts on our natural environment and, in some cases, on property owners affected by them.

The RHS is keen to improve awareness of the problem and promote a responsible approach among gardeners to managing invasive plants, which these booklets do so well.”

The booklet - 'Gardening Without Harmful Invasive Plants' – can be downloaded for free here.

For more information, please contact:

Sue Nottingham Press Office T 01722 342757 / M 0786 1655438 / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Sophie Thomas Invasives Officer T 01722 342730 (switchboard)/ .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)