Are moth plant and rhamnus weed out of control in your backyard?
Howick Local Board wants you to help it win the battle to rid the community of these invasive weeds next month with the return of its weed disposal bin and swap day.
The bins will be located in on Bells Rd in Lloyd Elsmore Park from 3 to 15 April. On 14 April between 9am and 1pm at the same location, you can exchange the weeds for a ‘friendly’ plant to go in to the garden.
The local board’s environment work programme lead, John Spiller, says the weeds smother gardens and native plants, so removing them is a high priority.
“They also grow very fast and over the four years we’ve run the programme we’ve collected several large last skip bins so it’s an ongoing battle.”
The avid conservationist says that the project is helping to raise awareness of the weeds which are often mistaken for less dangerous plants.
- Dig out the plant including the root system
- Cut and treat the vine or stump with herbicide
- Hand-pull the tree or vine from the ground when the ground is wet or damp.
Find out more about how to identify and dispose of pest weeds in your garden.