Planting is one of the most exciting parts of any landscaping and garden design project, as the trees, shrubs and flowers you pick will add all the life and vitality you need for your outside spaces.
However, it’s essential to do some research and make sure that you’re not investing in certain invasive plant species, as these can do untold damage to the foundations of your home and neighbouring properties, as well as putting other species and natural habitats at risk.
Japanese knotweed is perhaps the most famous of all invasive plants and, in fact, it’s a legal offence to plant it or cause it to grow in the wild. You don’t have to remove it from your property unless it’s proving to be a nuisance, but if you do plan to sell the house you will need to make its presence known to prospective buyers.
Meanwhile, bamboo – as one of the most popular plants for gardens – is also something to be mindful of if you don’t want your garden to be taken over. Clump-forming bamboo will typically cause you no issues as it doesn’t spread, but running bamboo species – such as pseudosasa and phyllostachys – are very invasive unless you look after them properly.
Also consider carefully whether you want to bring Himalayan balsam into your garden. It’s a very attractive plant with shapely green leaves and pretty pink flowers, but it produces thousands of seeds and can launch them over distances of more than seven metres, so it can spread quite quickly. Your garden could find itself completely taken over!
The good news here, however, is that it’s an annual plant so if you do have it in your garden you can dispose of it relatively easily, unlike other species whose roots go deep down into the ground and which are likely to return, no matter what you do.
Of course, these are just three plants to watch out for, so if you need any further help or advice relating to invasive planting, get in touch with the LW Landscapes team today.