GARDEN THUGS

© Frances Michaels

This is a list of garden plants best avoided without particular care being taken to control their spread. The plants in the first list are not usually classified as "weeds", they simply take far too much time and effort to keep in their place. Many of them are sold as "herbs" and have a range of uses. The rampancy or vigour of a particular plant is very much related to the area you live in. Plants that can be well-behaved in one area can become serious weeds in a different climate zone. This is a particular trap for gardeners that relocate north to a warmer area. Plants that had previously behaved well suddenly either drop dead in the wet season or become garden thugs. The Sky Flower vine which is a reasonable performer in Sydney, tries to take over bushland in Cairns. Elderberry, which is just a shrub in Victoria, can grow into a large, suckering tree thicket in Queensland.

As organic gardeners we need to choose plants that are suitable to their environment, as their water needs will be less and they will be far more resistant to pests and diseases. The impact of growing plants outside their preferred zone is huge (wasted water, pesticide usage, even glasshouse heating costs). However, plants well-adapted to the climactic zone you live in will generally reproduce. The real question is, how much is too much? A seedling here or there might not be a problem with annuals such as basil or parsley, as they tend to come up close to where they were growing the previous year. However, plants that birds eat the fruit of, can quickly become a serious problem as birds will spread them far and wide. Fruit trees such as olives Olea europaea are now a problem in SA. Ornamental shrubs with berries that are fast becoming a problem in Queensland include Mock Orange Murraya paniculata, Duranta and Indian Hawthorn Rathiolepis spp.

Some of the most widespread "weeds" in Australia are the invisible ones, the ones we see as just "green paint" on the landscape, the grasses. If your garden or property doesn't already have a carpet of kikuyu Pennisetum clandestinum (E Africa) couch Cynodon spp, carpet grass or buffalo grass Stenotaphrum secundatum (Africa) then for goodness sake, don't plant any!

Garden plants best avoided:

Aerial Potato Discorea bulbifera

Balsam syn Busy Lizzie Impatiens spp

Buddleia  syn Butterfly Bush Buddleja davidii

Chinese artichoke Stachys spp

Chinese Forget -Me-Not Cynoglossum amabile

Cleavers Galium aparine

Elderberry Sambucus nigra

English Ivy Hedera helix

Epazote Chenopodium ambrosioides

Fennel - Common Foeniculum vulgare

Fish Plant Houttuynia cordata

Gazania Gazania spp.

Ginger Lily Hedychium gardnerianum

Guava Psidium guajava and P. guineense

Horehound Marrubium vulgare

Yellow Water Iris syn Yellow Flag Iris pseudacorus

Lavender - Spanish syn Topped Lavandula stoechas

Leucaena Leucaena spp.

Lippia Phyla nodiflora

Mint Mentha spp. (particularly Apple mint, Eau de Cologne mint). Mints are best planted in large tubs, positioned under or near taps, to avoid them taking over large areas of the garden.

Mirror bush Coprosma repens

Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris

Paris daisy Euryops abrotanifolius

Pink Evening Primrose Oenothera spp.

Pink periwinkle Catharanthus roseus

Sky Flower Thunbergia grandiflora

Yarrow Achillea millefolium

Garden plants which are definitely weeds, however you look at it, including some very serious ones:

Arum Lily Zantedeschia aethiopica

Asparagus Fern Protasparagus densiflorus

Blackberry Rubus vulgatis

Black-eyed Susan Thunbergia alata

Blue Periwinkle Vinca major

Blue Potato Vine Solanum wendlandii

Bridal creeper Myrsiphyllum asparagoides

Broom Cytisus spp.

Cape Ivy Senecio angulatus

Cat's Claw Creeper Macfadyena unguis-cati

Coreopsis Daisy Coreopsis lanceolata

Cotoneaster Cotoneaster spp.

Duranta Duranta repens

Fishbone Fern Nephrolepis cordifolia

Fountain Grass Pennisetum setaceum

Glory Lily Gloriosa superba

Golden Rod Solidago altissima

Honey Locust Gleditsia spp.

Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica (some cultivars are well-behaved)

Horsetail Equisetum arvense

Japanese syn. Mexican sunflower Tithonia spp

Lantana Lantana spp.

Moth Vine Araujia sericifera syn. hortorum

Morning Glory Ipomoea learii syn. indica

Pampas Grass Cortaderia selloana

Pepper Tree Schinus areira

Privet Ligustrum lucidum

Singapore Daisy Sphagneticola trilobata

Umbrella Tree Schleffera actinphylla

Wandering Jew Tradescantia albiflora

Water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes

Watsonia Lily Watsonia spp

Weeping Willow Salix spp.

Yellow allamanda Allamanda cathartica

Yellow bells Tecoma stans

Further info at:

 www.nrm.qld.gov.au/environmental_weeds/weed_info_series.html

http://www.weedbusterweek.info.au

http://www.weeds.org.au

http://www.weeds.org.au/docs/jumping_the_garden_fence.pdf

DISCLAIMER:

We guarantee our seeds to the value of the purchase price. We are happy to replace the seeds, give you a credit or refund, whichever you prefer. Other than our guarantee to the extent of the purchase price Green Harvest gives no other warranty expressed or implied. No liability will be accepted by Green Harvest, its owners or employees as to the accuracy of any information. No responsibility will be taken for damage to property or persons due to information given about a product or technique. No responsibility will be taken for the loss of a crop or income due to information given about a product or technique.