Weeds on your country property

Country residents such as the Tupu-Roberts family can get help to fight weeds like wild ginger and woolly nightshade. 

"A weed is really just a plant in the wrong place," says Doug Foster, land management officer with Northland Regional Council, in describing the bane of country property owners. 

"In fact many of what we think of as undesirable plants are in fact escapees from gardens; what are commonly classed as 'hardy perennials'. Things like privet, jasmine and ginger were desirable additions to gardens in times gone past. Now they're just pests." 

And while these escapees from suburban gardens are a constant and growing problem, not all weeds are exotic. An example of a native that is poisonous is tutu (Coriaria). Because of the danger it poses to stock, this plant is vigorously controlled by the farming community. But others such as the bird catcher plant (parapara, or Pisonia brunoniana), while not yet considered a problem plant, may prove to be in the future. As Doug Foster points out, "This is quite rare in the bush but if it becomes widespread through use as a garden plant then its profile could change. I have to admit to pruning one at ground level when I found dozens of trapped fantails and wax-eyes on one on my land. They quickly get too big to remove the sticky pods from." 

Neil Henderson from the Weed Free Waitakere Trust is equally committed to fighting plants in the wrong places. 

"In my area we have a big headache with the bush becoming infested with garden escapees. People buy what they think is native bush only to find they are harbouring a bunch of criminals. Just because it's green and pretty doesn't mean it's good." 

This is what Sandra Tupu and Bernie Roberts discovered after they bought their property in Waitakere. 

"We'd been living in the Melbourne bush and while New Zealand bush is very different, we love this sort of setting," says Sandra. 

But the pretty garden they had bought, apart from being graced with cabbage trees and nikau, also turned out to be harbouring all sorts of undesirables on the banks of the stream at the foot of the garden. Sandra acknowledges the input of the previous owners. 

"They must have been working away all the time they were here. We are just following on from them. We were complete novices when we came but we've learnt a lot in a short time." 

Both she and Bernie are grateful for the advice and guidance they have received from Weed Free Waitakere Trust. 

"Neil drew us up a management plan and we are working through it bit by bit. We buy plants from the Oratia Nursery because they have a wealth of local knowledge, and we are planting carefully." 

Dealing with a weed problem is never finished. 

"It's best done in bite-sized chunks," advises Neil. "Tackling a major infestation can be pretty daunting, so nibble away at it and celebrate small successes. That way you don't end up feeling so defeated that you give up." 

HOW TO BEAT THE WEEDS 

Remove the undesirables and dispose of them carefully. Replant the bare area with suitable replacements to prevent the weeds re-colonising. 

Encourage other people not to grow, buy, sell or distribute any of the undesirable plants in the brochures provided by your local authority. 

Keep an eye out for undesirables on reserves. Call your local authority if you see them and offer to help remove them. 

Auckland Regional Council Enviroline: 0800 8060 40, www.arc.govt.nz 

Weed Free Waitakere Trust: 09 826 4276, info@ecomatters.org.nz