Calls to ban invasive plant making Australia's backyards 'ticking time bombs'

Calls to ban an invasive plant commonly sold at Bunnings and other garden centres and nurseries across the country have been renewed over fears it's becoming a "ticking time bomb" across the country.

Escaped garden weeds like English Ivy, also known as Hedera Helix, are becoming a widespread problem impacting native trees, bushland and waterways. Yet garden industry leader Bunnings along with a long list of other Aussie nurseries are knowingly selling the invasive weeds.

"English Ivy is growing over fences and walls and is choking and smothering trees and taking over ground covering bushland," Invasive Species Council acting CEO Jack Gough told Yahoo News Australia.

"It's disappointing to walk down to my local Bunnings and pick up a whole variety of English ivy and then only have to walk 100m down the road and see it taking over bushland.

"I think most Australians would be horrified to know that the plants that they could go and pick up [from the local nursery] could actually be an environmental disaster."

Calls for support in banning invasive plants from Bunnings and other nurseries

The Invasive Species Council are renewing their pleas with Aussies to show their support in banning weeds like English Ivy, Amazon frogbit and gazanias as Federal Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek, along with all state and territory governments, contemplate developing a plan to protect our bush and streams from invasive weeds.

However, Gough says that over the last decade, the nursery and garden industry has "basically been successful in lobbying governments not to go down the path of regulation in the sale of weedy plants."

The council are calling for Australians to sign a petition to stop the sale of destructive weeds in Australia.

"But the crazy thing is, when it comes to plants like English ivy or gazanias, the industry themselves have assessed as of high weed potential, and they're still being sold in nurseries."

Why nurseries continue to sell such destructive plants, Gough believes is because "it's an industry that doesn't want to be regulated on the issue.

"Consumers want to buy a range of plants for their garden. That's fine. And there's a sort of a thought philosophy that anything goes and unfortunately, what that means is that the expectation is on Australians who want to do the right thing."

Gough argues that everyday Aussies require either a "botany degree" or to search obscure websites in order to find out what they should and shouldn't be planting in their gardens.

"It means that so many of Australia's backyards are actually ticking time bombs for our environment," he said.

• 🌵 Residents warned over 'destructive invaders' taking over Aussie suburbs

• 🏝️ Man's 'spectacular' beach find Aussies can go years without seeing

• 🪰 'Amazing' $12 Bunnings solution to annoying backyard problem

Invasive plants in gardens leads to 'McDonaldisation'

Gough said he feared what he describes as the 'McDonaldisation' of our natural environment — that as invasive species get a foothold, all our bushland "looks the same everywhere"

"Where we have these weedy plants that are being introduced from around the world through gardens and nurseries that then take over, bushland starts to look the same everywhere," he said. "We lost that diversity and uniqueness of the Australian bush and that's something I think Australians don't want to see.

He adds that there are "so many" native alternatives that can be used in gardens instead.

"We need more native plants sold, which are more appropriate and endemic to Aussie gardens," he said.

Bunnings 'work hard' to cater to customer preferences

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Cam Rist, Bunnings Director of Merchandise previously told Yahoo that the retailer "closely follows all relevant local biosecurity regulations and the advice of regulators about the plants we sell."

"Like many nurseries and retailers, we sell a wide range of locally sourced plants across our stores and we work hard to create an assortment that caters to customer preferences and demand," he told Yahoo.

Plants sold across Bunnings stores differ depending on where they are sold and their declaration status. Customers are advised to read the information on the plant label before deciding whether it’s right for them and their garden.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.