Pest plants, such as agapanthus and moth plant, are invading Auckland’s North Shore – your gardens and your nearby bush reserves. Controlling them when they are small is easy and cheap. If they are left to grow, they can spread across your property onto your neighbours’ gardens and to nearby reserves.
Auckland Council has recently introduced new rules that require people in some areas to remove some pest plants from their property, in order to protect our native biodiversity.
The purple flowers of agapanthus are visible from December to February and can be very beautiful to look at. However, they produce thin, papery, black seeds that spread in the wind and grow to form dense umbrella-like clusters with dark green leathery leaves, displacing other plants. They are particularly a problem in coastal areas, such as cliffs and banks, where they prevent native species from growing. The plant has white root rhizomes and can also spread from fragments of the root rhizome in contaminated soil.
Take action as soon as possible:
There are several environmental networks across Auckland’s North Shore that support communities to recognise, report and remove pest plants and restore our native wildlife.
East Coast Bays and Hibiscus Coast, Restore Hibiscus & Bays
info@restorehb.org.nz, restorehb.org.nz/resources-pest-plants/
Facebook.com/RestoreHB
Kaipātiki, Pest Free Kaipātiki (PFK), enquiries@pestfreekaipatiki.org.nz
pestfreekaipatiki.org.nz/pest-plant-resources
Facebook.com/pestfreekaipatiki/
Takapuna, Pupuke Birdsong Project, enviro@takapunatrust.org.nz
Facebook.com/pupukebirdsongproject
Devonport Peninsula, Restoring Takarunga Hauraki
pestfreedevonport@gmail.com
Facebook.com/restoringtakarungahauraki/
Upper Harbour, Upper Harbour Ecology Network (UHEN)
upperharbourecology@gmail.com
Facebook.com/UpperHarbourEcologyNetwork
For advice on a chemical-free approach
Kaipātiki Project, community@kaipatiki.org.nz, kaipatiki.org.nz
Facebook.com/kaipatikiproject
This Pest Plant of the Month feature is a collaborative initiative between Restore Hibiscus & Bays, Pest Free Kaipātiki Restoration Society, Pupuke Birdsong Project, Restoring Takarunga Hauraki, the Upper Harbour Ecological Network and Kaipātiki Project. Building on Te Ao Māori principles of kaitiakitanga and whanaungatanga, these environmental networks bring our communities together to foster guardianship, care and respect towards our whenua, natural world and indigenous wildlife.
Correction to the June issue: Unfortunately, there was an error in the production of the June Pest Plant of the Month article and there was some incorrect advice printed on controlling wild ginger. Please refer to the following links for best practice guidelines on controlling wild ginger: Download the Forest and Bird weed control guide at bit.ly/forestandbirdweedguide or visit restorehb.org.nz/resources-pest-plants/