Wild About Gardens, for the benefit of people and wildlife

Prevent waterways from getting All choked up!

As spring brings warmer weather and people venture into their gardens more frequently, those with ponds may be thinking about buying new plants for it.

BUT did you know that some aquatic plants are highly invasive? And that some of these plants are still sold in the UK?

All Choked Up! is a Water for Wildlife campaign that is running again this year. It has identified six species of aquatic plants that people should not buy and should not spread.

These are:

Are pond pests a problem?

Not all exotic species are harmful, but many are causing real problems in our towns and countryside. Invasive plant pests grow rapidly, blocking and shading the river bed and taking over from native plant species. Large sums of money are spent every year cleaning these plant pests out of waterways, ponds and lakes. They can also create a flood risk.

What action can you take as a consumer?

If you see these plants on sale, PLEASE DO NOT BUY THEM and alert the store manager to the problems they cause. These plants may be sold under different names, so check with the supplier if you are not sure. If you have these plants in your garden and need to dispose of all or some of them, DO NOT PUT THEM DOWN THE DRAIN OR IN THE RUBBISH; instead compost, burn or bury them. Do not transfer any plants, frogspawn or anything else between ponds as this may spread these invasive plants. Use alternative oxygenators such as spiked water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), rigid hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) or common water starwort (Callitriche stagnalis) ? see The Wildlife Trusts? website (www.wildlifetrusts.org) for more information.

How you can help as a supplier?

Please ensure that customers are aware of the dangers of buying these invasive species and their impact on the environment. Stock alternative oxygenating plants. Please display a copy of our free Pond Pests poster.

Further information

Water for Wildlife Campaign is supported by The Wildlife Trusts, The Environment Agency, Water UK, British Waterways, English Nature, Centre for Aquatic Plant Management, and Plantlife

Visit The Wildlife Trusts website, www.wildlifetrusts.org, to download a pond pest poster and a free information sheet. You can also find out more about this campaign online and sign an online petition/pledge to 'prevent pond pests'."

Other useful websites

Water fern ? Azolla filiculoides
Water fern clogging a canal
Australian swamp stonecrop ? Crassula helmsii - by Philip Precey
Floating pennywort ? Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
Water primrose ? Ludwigia grandiflora (also known as Jussiaea sp.)
Pennywort removal