Articles LifestyleHome & GardenWatch out for invasive garden plants – and think about easier alternatives
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Watch out for invasive garden plants – and think about easier alternatives

By The Press Association Feb 21, 2023

You might want to swap your bamboo screening for something a little less thuggish

Experts suggest certain varieties of bamboo are as invasive as the infamous Japanese knotweed.

Only recently, it was reported bamboo caused more than £100,000 damage to a home in Hampshire, as the ground floor of the property had to be dug up.

 

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It can grow through cavity walls, bricks, drains and floors. Invasive plant specialists Environet UK has advised people to think twice about growing bamboo and, if you already have it in your garden, to make sure it’s properly contained.

Bamboo spreading via long rhizomes can be more difficult, while clump-forming varieties – although still invasive – don’t tend to spread as much, the RHS suggests. So, if you need to screen an area and are desperate for some swaying canes, plant it in large pots to keep it contained.

There are, however, plenty of other plants which will give you the screening you need – without taking over your garden…

Ornamental grasses

 

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Wafting grasses with colourful feathers changing with the light and season are a great alternative. However, one to avoid is pampas grass – hellish to remove once it’s established itself.

Instead, consider Miscanthus sinensis (Japanese silvergrass), a perennial which will grow up to four metres if you plant it in well-drained soil in a sunny spot. It will reward you with beautiful, feathery plumes in late summer. Stipa gigantea is another popular choice.

Climbing hydrangea

Once out of fashion, the hydrangea has made a great comeback in recent years, and the beautiful white lacecap flowerhead of the climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. Petiolaris) will light up any shady wall. It’s self-clinging and will drop its leaves in winter, but if you pair it with a small-leaved ivy, you’ll have interest through the cooler months.

Pyracantha

This tough evergreen shrub will grow quickly, protecting you from prying eyes with a dense screen, and also acting as a burglar deterrent thanks to its prickly thorns.

It produces creamy white fragrant flowers in summer, followed by dazzling orange or red berries in winter, which will also attract hungry birds.

Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

If you’ve got a sunny spot, go for this popular evergreen climber, bearing sweetly fragrant jasmine-like white flowers in summer. It can grow up to nine metres, so if you’re after height, this is a strong contender.

Perfect for doorways and small arches, the leaves will tinge red in winter – so it’s a shrub worth the space and, although vigorous, is not a thug. It needs something to climb on, so you may have to secure some discreet garden wires along your wall to help it on its way.

Verbena bonariensis

If you’re after an airy, semi see-through screen, you could plant this perennial beauty, whose purple flowers in summer are a magnet for pollinators.

It will die down later in the year, so you may want to mix it with other pretty plants such as salvia uliginosa, and tall semi-evergreen grasses including Stipa gigantea.

Photinia ‘Red Robin’

This beautiful evergreen shrub grows to nearly two-and-a-half metres, and has flexible branches bearing deep green leaves with brilliant red shoots growing from the tips of the branches.

The shrub creates a dazzling screen – it should thrive on any well-drained soil in sun or partial shade, but avoid really cold, wet conditions – they will affect the brilliant foliage.

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