Weeds in your garden can be a pain at the best of times… invasive weeds are even worse! Here is a list of the top 5 invasive weeds in the UK and what to look out for:
As most people are aware, Japanese knotweed is an extremely invasive weed that has been proven to be difficult to remove. If the tiniest trace of the rhizome is left in the soil, a completely new plant can be produced.
Japanese knotweed can grow up to 10cm per day during the growing season. If you find Japanese Knotweed it is best to be left to be removed by the experts!
As well as being an invasive species of plant, the sap that Giant hogweed produces can actually cause severe burns and blisters when coming into contact with human skin.
Giant hogweed spreads via its seeds – one plant can supply up to 50,000 seeds. That’s a lot of new potential weeds that can grow!
Even though this weed produces pretty pink flowers, do not be deceived! This plant is highly invasive.
Himalayan Balsam can produce up to 800 seeds per year, with each seed being able to survive for 2 years – even in shaded areas. This species also tends to shade out other vegetation meaning that, eventually, all surrounding plants may die out.
Most commonly found in water or next to lakes, New Zealand Pygmyweed can often be identified by their little white flowers, small, fleshy green leaves, and long roots.
This species in particular causes nuisance to pond owners as it can reduce the oxygen that is available to the fish that inhabit the waters, which can end up deadly.
This shrub can be identified by its leathery, dark-green, oval leaves, clusters of pink funnel-shaped flowers and tall height.
Rhododendron Ponticum kills surrounding plants by absorbing and blocking out all of the sunlight. In addition to this, the leaves are incredibly toxic to animals!
Scared that you have the number one invasive plant on this list? Don’t panic, get it touch with us today!