Media Release 20 July 2024
Garden Centres contribute to weed problem
Local Port Stephens bushcare and landcare groups have welcomed the recent decision by all states and territories to support the Minister for Environment, Tanya Plibersek’s, earlier announcement of a national plan to tackle escaped garden plants and aquatic weeds.
Relying on garden centres such as Bunnings, and plant nurseries to do the right thing has not worked, despite available listings of garden plants most prone to becoming weeds. Regulation is urgently overdue and essential to protect our local biodiversity.
In addition, it is frustrating and unfair for hardworking volunteers who give up their time to remove weeds from their neighbourhood parks and reserves to see these same plants on sale at our local Bunnings.
“It creates extra work for us”, Friends of Tomaree – Fishermans Bay coordinator Josephine O’Brien said.
“Just look at the gazanias covering the headland at Fishermans Bay,” she said. “There are so many other invasive species that Bunnings sells that our local landcare groups remove – dietes, mother-in-law’s tongue, non-local wattles, fish bone fern, asparagus sp, canna lily. The list goes on.”
“It’s very disheartening seeing them for sale,” she said.
The main source of new weeds in Australia are in fact escapees from gardens – currently contributing to 75% of all listed weeds!
In Port Stephens, we have a huge number of weed species, and a few priority species are being targetted by Council’s Invasive Species unit such as Chinese Violet which started off as garden escapee in Boat Harbour. However, there are many more that continue to thrive and disperse, or be dumped, from private gardens causing not only a direct threat to our local biodiversity, but creating extra work for our volunteer bushcare groups.
Sue Johnson, a volunteer bushcarer from the Soldiers Point- Salamander Bay Landcare group said that “gazanias pop up at all our sites – Wanda Headland, Sunset Beach, Seaview Crescent (Bannisters), Sandpiper Reserve and Wanda Wetlands.”
Friends of Tomaree coordinator, Sue Olsson, said “we are working hard to eradicate myrtle-leaf milkwort (Polygala myrtifolia) in Tomaree National Park, from Zenith Beach, Box Beach and Tomaree summit, though it’s prevalent on the adjacent Tomaree Lodge land.”
The bushcare groups do not blame customers or residents who purchase these plants unwittingly, but they are keen to support any moves to regulate the garden industry to ensure they don’t sell either seeds or potted plants of many invasive varieties. For every plant sold that has weed potential, there are many other similar options that people can choose.
For instance, if you look up gazania on the ‘Grow Me Instead’ website, you will find delightful alternatives such as native cut-leafed daisies or fan flowers.
Left: Gazanias growing on the Fishermans Bay-Anna Bay Headland. Centre: Removing Canna Lily at the Fishermans Bay Beach. Right: Removing Mother-in-law’s Tongue and Canna Lily from the Fishermans Bay Beach. Photos by Josephine O’Brien, Co-ordinator.
Further Reading:
Grow Me Instead is an initiative of the Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) promoting a positive change in the attitude of both industry and consumers toward invasive plants. Find your native alternative here.
Garden escapees and other weeds of bushland and reserves: a responsible gardening guide for the Mid North Coast of New South Wales – Great Lakes Council 2015
A safe list to stop new weeds – Invasive Species Council
Priority weeds – Port Stephens Council
‘Our gardens are ticking time bombs’: Plibersek shows leadership in push to stop the sale of weeds – Invasive Species Council Media release 15 July 2024
Escaped garden plants as a key threatening process: ‘Loss and degradation of native plant and animal habitat by invasion of escaped garden plants, including cultivated and aquatic plants’ – Invasive Species Council 2009
Polygala Myrtifolia, a beauty and a beast! – Friends of Tomaree National Park August 2024
Weed Warriors Want Better Regulation – News of the Area p8 on 25 July 2024