Gardeners warned of Japanese knotweed threat

Thursday, January 18 2007 11:35:14 by Editor

The Environment Agency has named Japanese knotweed as the worst weed affecting British gardens and as a result has released an official guide on how to tackle the voracious plant.

Japanese knotweed is not just unsightly, it actually causes damage to the environment by strangling the life out of surrounding plants and damaging the structure of buildings.

Originally introduced in the 19th century as an ornamental garden plant, Japanese knotweed now features as a prominent part of environmental policy agendas across Europe, as well as in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US.

The weed invades natural habitats and out-competes the native plants and animals. Rivers, hedges, roadsides and railways which form important corridors for native plants and animals to migrate, can become blocked by large infestations of non-native weeds.

What was once just the bane of construction workers' lives is now becoming a problem for domestic gardeners, as fly-tipping, illegal dumping of the plant and its seeds and the natural migration of the plant have led to lawn and garden infestations.

To help gardeners get rid of the weed safely, the Environment Agency has produced a code of practice for dealing with Japanese knotweed which can be found on its website at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/conservation/840870/840894/840941/.

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