Invasive plants can take over your garden or pond, and potentially “jump the fence” or be transferred into the wider environment. In many cases, even a small fragment of a plant moved to another area or water course outside your garden can form a new population in the wild.
Avoid swapping cuttings or fragments from friends’ gardens and ponds. Otherwise, you may end up with an invasive species in your garden. You may also be unwittingly transporting invasive hitchhikers.
There is legislation in place that means certain plant species cannot be intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment. These species are listed as Species of Union Concern. You can see the list here.
Source plants and seeds responsibly to make sure that you are not introducing invasive species or harmful pests/diseases into our environment.
If you see a Widely Spread Species or any other Species of Union Concern on sale in NI, please contact the NIEA INNS Team on invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk or report a sighting.
Plants that you buy for your garden or pond could be carrying hitch-hikers too. You can avoid these by washing your plants in a bucket before putting them in the pond, then emptying the bucket over the lawn or flower bed away from any watercourses or drains.
It is not recommended that you collect plants from the wild. Some plants are protected and you may unwittingly cause damage to the environment.
There are many alternative species which may be suitable for your garden or pond, that are not going to go on to become invasive. See resources below for more information:
‘Gardening without harmful invasive plants’ guide
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