Why is it allowed for garden centres/nurseries to sell highly invasive plants?

[marigoldflower]

I've been to reputable garden centres (mainly in London) and I've seen that they sell plants like Kalanchoe Mother of Millions or Tillansia Zerographica (air plant)

Why is this allowed?

I try to be meticulous when buying plants as I unknowingly purchased an invasive plant in the past, though thankfully I managed to get rid of it before it took hold

I've also seen the damage air plants can do to pine trees (in a whole neighbourhood) for instance, and they are virtually impossible to eradicate. They can grow on phone lines, lamp posts, etc

So I was quite shocked when I saw this

have we had budlia yet?

Ivy outside is a dick, my rental is sadly covered in it. But as a houseplant it grows well, easy to look after and apparently kills mould.

Ivy is a really good plant for wildlife though.

In theory we should only be allowed to buy British Wildflowers and plants by some of the logic here. And only ones which aren't invasive at that. I'm not sure that would go down too well.

But define invasive.

One mans invasive is anothers low maintainence. Thats where it becomes an issue and you can only classify a small number of plants as problematic.

It has to come down to education. I do think it would be useful to give more information this at point of sale, but this also has to be within reason as giving out full manuals for every plant would be counterproductive (people wouldn't read them anyway!).

I'd say 'Invasive' is where it escapes from your property and causes some sort of damage, in particular to the ecosystem, and control is difficult.

@CoffeeWithCheese

I'd nominate the fucking hydrangea in my front garden I've been trying to kill off for nearly a decade now.

I literally can’t get any hydrangeas to grow and flower properly. Want me to pop round one weekend? I’m sure my very presence will give it a good kicking

There’s a problem, locally, with Giant Hogweed. It’s spreading in a particular area and the local authority aren’t doing anything about it. There’s is a bit of campaign just starting up to get them to get their stars in to gear before it becomes a serious issue.

Ivy is great for wildlife, birds nest in it and eat the berries which look good in the winter imo plus it is a good insulator on a wall to both keep in heat in winter and cool in summer. I like ivy! It creeps but doesn’t self seed everywhere.
I agree though generally re. Invasive plants particularly pond plants. You can but that one that floats , can’t remember it’s name now but it clogs up rivers and water courses and drains. It’s a real problem and costs water companies and river authorities a fortune to remove.

Agree with bamboo, and agree with the tears. It's soul destroying.

Agree that giant hogweed popping up on roundabouts and road edges and hedges everywhere now. It’s seeds blow everywhere and it’s a monster

I think it is fine to sell them. I have mint, though I do put it in pots , but it would be good if the information that came with the plant, gave an idea of how vigorous they are in the climate they are being sold in so people can choose where to plant them. I know you should research a plant before buying it and I always do, but it would be helpful if the garden centres provided some level of warning/advice about some plants possibly invasive in certain conditions

Also gorse on motorways particularly M1. Really spreading everywhere now. I like the yellow flowers but otherwise it’s an ugly plant. Not sure if it’s good for insects or not.

Houttuynia cortada
Horrendously awful stuff. It has rhizomes so very difficult to kill and it absolutely stinks.

Gorse is native, smells amazing and is fantastic for birds and pollinators. It’s brilliant if it’s spreading!

If we start getting rid of native species just because they’re ugly then half the population of the uk is fucked

Gorse and giant hogweed aren't down to garden centres, though the latter was introduced as an ornamental.

Gorse is early into flower and good for animals and birds to live in or under so it is good for wildlife. And the smell when the first warmth in spring releases the scent - glorious!

Ivy flowers (when it's big enough to get 'arboreal') are valuable for bees late in the year, one of the last abundant sources of food for them.

Ah ok, fair enough. I’ll try and appreciate gorse abit more now when driving to see my mother in law

Motorways are all the better for lots of native plants such as gorse along them. I mean, you're speeding along tarmac and concrete and you think a plant is ugly?

Next door's bamboo is bloody ruining my garden.

I agree, I bought a non-invasive variety of cotoneaster and was surprised to see they were selling invasive ones too with a disclaimer!

Also PSA please don’t plant horseradish directly in the ground, it is a nightmare.

The broad difference with aquatic plants is that in theory it is possible to control the spread of non-native 'land' plants if you manage them correctly, stop them spreading beyond your garden, don't fly tip & don't be a bloody Victorian plant collector distributing seed willy nilly from your pockets on your daily wander in the countryside.
Aquatic plants can escape & spread in floods, down drains, on wildlife etc & once in the waterways, are virtually impossible to eradicate without killing a whole lot of native wildlife too.

I like gorse. Beautiful smell.

Mare's tail is bloody nightmare though.

@Ihaventgottimeforthis

The broad difference with aquatic plants is that in theory it is possible to control the spread of non-native 'land' plants if you manage them correctly, stop them spreading beyond your garden, don't fly tip & don't be a bloody Victorian plant collector distributing seed willy nilly from your pockets on your daily wander in the countryside. Aquatic plants can escape & spread in floods, down drains, on wildlife etc & once in the waterways, are virtually impossible to eradicate without killing a whole lot of native wildlife too.

Yes - though of course the Himalayan balsam breaks that rule of thumb by being spread by water. I guess the same may apply to some other species ... though the bloody balsam probably beats those too.

Balsam is a dastardly clever plant, the exploding seed heads are admirable in their evil design.
Rhododendron is my worst for impacts on woodland here in Cornwall. & Hottentot Fig.