Globally and here in Wales, ornamental plants spreading from gardens are one of the main sources of invasive species which can – once in the wild – impact the environment, economy, our health and the way we live. Invasive species are estimated to cost the GB economy almost £2 billion each year.
Tomos Jones, Garden Escapers Project Manager at North Wales Wildlife Trust said: “Preventing invasive species is crucial because it saves us money and avoids the impacts they can have. Our research has identified a shortlist of popular garden plants which are not currently known to cause any impacts in the wild as invasive species but this could change in future. We want to know which of the target plants have escaped from gardens into nearby areas such as along pavements in urban areas or in nature reserves.”.