What if some of the plants in your garden are quietly escaping into the wild?
Many plants we grow, buy, swap and share are beautiful garden favourites – but some are actually pest plants that can spread beyond our gardens and cause serious problems for our native ecosystems.
In New Zealand, our native plant species are outnumbered by introduced plant species by around 10 to 1. While not every introduced plant is a problem, some are highly invasive and can spread into our natural areas, crowding out native vegetation and impacting our biodiversity.
🌱 Meet the Space Invaders
At this Eco Talk, Gary Foster will take you on a closer look at some of the plants that might be hiding in plain sight in your garden.
Here are just a few of the common garden plants Gary will talk about:
🌿 Passionfruit
🌿 Holly
🌿 Jasmine
🌿 Agapanthus
🌿 Portuguese Laurel
These plants can be bought, swapped and shared by gardeners and businesses throughout New Zealand, meaning their spread isn’t always obvious until they escape into the wider environment.
Gary will have some plant samples to help you identify some garden favourites that can become a problem for our native biodiversity.
This isn’t about blaming gardeners – it’s about knowing what we’re planting and understanding what can happen beyond the garden fence.
Gary’s work (along with Barbara Gilchrist and Ines Stager) in this space supports the biosecurity work of Environment Canterbury and aims to help our community make informed choices about the plants we grow.
Come along, bring your questions and maybe have a look around your own garden with fresh eyes!
Because sometimes the biggest threat to our native plants starts with something that looks perfectly at home in our garden.
7pm start
Supper to finish
$5 pp cash or online
Please pre-book