Weeds are plants that don’t belong where they are growing.
A growing number of exotic plants in our gardens and on our farms threaten the survival of our local native bushland. These bush invaders destroy remnant bushland as they overwhelm the native vegetation, destroy native plants, degrade fauna habitats, make access difficult and the bush visually unattractive. Soils are dramatically changed by run-off from residential and farming activities and weeds thrive in these damp nutrient- enriched soils. With their prolific seeding habit, fast growth rates and absence of natural predators, they overtake our own native plants.
In our area we have Weeds of National Significance that are particularly invasive such as: blackberry, bridal creeper, willows, asparagus weeds, prickly pear cactus, madeira vine, fireweed, lantana and catsclaw.
Legal Requirements
Some highly damaging weeds are defined as Noxious. To determine if weeds on your property are noxious see the local council website. Under the Noxious Weed Act of 1993 we, as landowners, have a legal responsibility to control these weeds.
What can we do?
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Replace invasive plants in your garden with local natives
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Regularly prune garden plants after flowering to control seeds
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Do not dump garden waste in bushland
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Buy garden plants at a reputable garden centre: find out its weed potential
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Ensure that exotic plants in the garden don’t escape to bushland
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Remove any that have escaped
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Avoid clearing bushland
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Source pond plants from reputable, accredited sellers
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Dry and dispose of pond plants in a sealed bag
Brochure
Download this information as a brochure here
