Species

Priority

Removal method

Considerations

English Ivy (Hedera helix)

High

Vines growing as ground-cover: hand-pulled

Vines growing up trees should be cut at about 1 m above ground level to kill the upper portions.

It is also important to pull individual seedlings before they become established.

Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus)

High

Manual control: loppers (can also be used as tongs to pull the cut cane out)

If patch is used as a nesting site for native passerine birds, remove the patch gradually and avoid nesting season.

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)

High

Hand pulling

CAUTION: Highly poison. Wear protective clothing and avoid direct skin contact with the plant.

Daphne (Daphne laureola)

Medium

Hand pulling

CAUTION: Wear protective clothing and avoid direct skin contact with the plant.

Common chickweed (Stellaria media)

Low

Hand pulling

It is important to remove it from the site as it can reroot from stem nodes in moist areas.

Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)

High

Hand pulling

CAUTION: Wear protective clothing to avoid puncture wounds from the spines.

Red dead nettle (Lamium purpureum)

Low

Hand pulling

To control Purple Dead-nettle mulch in fall with layers of cardboard, followed by a layer of leaves.

Creeping buttercup (Ranuculus repens)

Medium

Dig out with a fork-type tool

Removing all of the runners, roots and growing points. Digging is most effective from fall to spring while the soil is moist and roots won’t break off as much.

European Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

Medium

Small plants (up to 3 centimetres in diameter) removed by hand can be effective when the soil is moist.

Small seedlings should be pulled soon after they first appear.

For sprouts that don’t come out easily by hand, digging around the plant with a shovel or pick will help loosen the soil.