Escaped invasive garden plants are the biggest source of agricultural and environmental weeds, costing farmers many millions of dollars each year. Just one escaped invasive garden plant - Lantana - now degrades over 4 million hectares of Australia’s environment.
The CSIRO report Jumping the Garden Fence, commissioned by WWF-Australia, found that many escaped invasive garden plants are still advertised for sale, including five on the Weeds of National Significance list, six on the Alert List of Environmental Weeds list, and nine on the 100 World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species list.
Avoid invasive weeds
When you are buying plants for your garden, be sure to check the Ninety invasive garden plants by State/Territory list before buying to be sure you’re not purchasing an invasive species.
If the plant you were planning to purchase is on the list, buy a similar, non-invasive plant instead.
And remember to check with your local nursery or gardener to ensure that they are doing what they can to avoid invasive garden plants escaping into the wild.
Find out more
The Nursery Industry Association of NSW has published Grow Me Instead (PDF 1.3 MB), a booklet that identifies and describes replacement species.
The Nursery Industry Association of SA, with others, have also produced the Alternatives to invasive garden plants (PDF 334.1 KB) fact sheet for the Greater Adelaide Region.
The Weeds Australia website has lots of information about invasive species.
The Weeds CRC is a Cooperative Research Centre that is working to reduce the risks posed by current and new weed incursions through programs in research, education and information delivery across Australia.
Visit Bushland-friendly gardens: plants to avoid in your region which helps you to make more informed, environmentally friendly choices about the plants you use in your garden, nursery or parkland.
Hi there,
I’m curious, had traveled to Tamworth a month or so a go when i had discovered these weeds that are called i think three corner jacks, very pain full, what i’m getting to is that millions of dollars or even billions are put into removing weeds from our country, yet in Tamworth the weeds that are there have been there for over 4 yrs (WHY?) did not any $’s get spent on that area, thee 3 corner jacks are right in the heart of the city area as well as every where else, why is it that still after many years and i mean many years, we still have this problem, where did the money go towards weed removal.
Best regards,
A
HI Anthony
I would write to the new NSW environment and agricultural ministers (when they are announced in the next week or so) with this question. There is a real need to increase funding for the eradication of non-naturalised high risk weeds, or emerging weeds, where a modest investment can deliver big results.
Cheers
A