Himalayan Balsam is a perennial plant which can reach between 3-5 ft in height. It has a hollow stem which, nearer the base of the plant, can often have red roots extending from the stem down towards the ground. It generally colinises river banks but can be found in a range of other environments.

The plant can produce little pink flowers throughout the growing season. Each plant has the potential to release up to 2,500 seeds. The seeds are easily distributed by water which helps to explain the extensive stands alongside rivers.

For treatment methods please contact one of our Invasive Plant experts.

Horsetail can present itself in two forms. During early spring it is brown and covered by spores at the top of the stem. During summer months the more mature form exhibits itself. Horsetail has thin waxy green stems and leaves and can reach up to 90cm.

Horsetail is becoming more and more problematic causing damage to tarmac and other surfaces. It can also be very difficult to eradicate if approached in the wrong manner. The thin waxy leaves repel moisture and herbicides and the thin hair like rhizomes can stretch for several metres underground.

For treatment methods please contact one of our Invasive Plant experts.

There are several aquatic plants which can cause dramatic problems to waterways in the UK. They typically are very fast colonisers, preventing light from reaching other native plants, choking waterways and potentially enhancing flood risks.

Examples of invasive aquatic plants include Parrot’s Feather, Australian Swamp Stonecrop and Water Hyacinth.

For more information on invasive aquatic plants please contact one of our Invasive Plant experts.