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Himalayan Honeysuckle invades sensitive moist bushland such as Blue Mountains swamps where it forms thickets and dense shade, displacing native vegetation. 

A deciduous multi-stemmed shrub to 3 m high. Stems are erect, hollow and bamboo-like. A native of the Himalayas. Leycesteria is a vigorous arching shrub with large, soft green leaves and drooping panicles of white flowers which are followed by clusters of shining dark purple berries spread in December and January by the birds. These plants grow well in the semi-shade of the rainforest.

Fruits are ovoid fleshy berries, dark crimson when ripe. Each fruit contains more than 100 small seeds.

Control

  • The plant should be fully and continuously suppressed and destroyed
  • Dig out, or cut off and poison every stem.
  • Spray large areas November to March.

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Declared a noxious weed.

A native of Europe. Blackberry is an erect scrambling perennial shrub with long arching thorny canes which grow up to 2-3 metres (6ft-10ft) in height and are deciduous on Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine. The many white flowers are followed by berries which are green, turning red then black as they ripen in February and March.

The berries which contain the seeds are spread by birds all over the Mountain and quickly form new plants in ideal conditions. The canes will also grow by suckering, so a large dense prickly bush will soon form.

A combined effort by landowners and the Council is now needed annually to control Blackberry on some private land where it is a big problem, causing continual reinfestation of the reserves and roadsides.

Control

  • Dig out small plants.
  • Spray fruiting plants November to January, non-fruiting plants up to March.
  • Cut crown and poison: For mature plants with a woody crown (root ball) – the cut crown method is very effective. It involves removing soil from the base of the plant where it's coming from the ground and cutting through the crown at the widest point to create maximum surface area to apply herbicide.
  • Scrap and Paint: For all other plants - seedlings, juvenile and mature without accessible root crown, scrape and paint canes. Paint every stem for 300mm (8in- 12in) of its length

Herbicides

  • Spray - Tree and Blackberry killer
  • Paint - Tree and Blackberry killer or Glyphosphate (Roundup)

Please note special care must be taken when using herbicides and especially Glyphosate. The MWPA accepts no responsibility for the use or application of any chemicals. Always check the labels and Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals and use only as directed.   For more details on herbicides refer to the additional information sources below.

Useful Sources of Information:


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After English Ivy, Common Holly is the most ubiquitous weed in Mt Wilson. 

There are many old established Holly Trees and hedges in Mt Wilson. Whilst owners may be reluctant to remove these, care should be taken to stop the spread of Holly trees.  Holly gets established very quickly and it is easiest to remove when the plants are still small.  When they are seedlings they can sometimes be dug up as long as all roots are removed. Holly cuttings should all be placed in the green bin, mulched or burnt as they reshoot very easily.

The extract below is from Libby Raines weed booklet.

A native of Europe to China and North Africa. Holly is a large fast growing evergreen shrub (a small tree on Mount Wilson). It has very prickly shining green leaves and many red berries in the Autumn, which are carried by the birds. Each berry contains up to four seeds, which germinate readily in our ideal conditions, especially in the shade, and they quickly make a large self-layering shrub which usually shades out everything else around it.

Holly can be seen almost everywhere you walk on good soil. Holly and Ivy are the two most serious weeds on Mount Wilson. It is heartening to see many land owners removing holly trees from their properties.

The variegated forms of Holly are suitable to grow.

Control

  • Pull or dig out small plants or spray December to March.
  • Large plants cut off and poison.

Resources

 


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Tax deductible donations can be easily made by clicking on the following links below:

The Mt Wilson - Mt Irvine Rural Fire Brigade

The Old School Mt Wilson

 


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Whilst English ivy (Hedera helix) provides some lovely features and screens in our gardens this is very aggressive when out of control. 

The Dandenong Ranges in Victoria (see video) are similar to Mt Wilson/Mt Irvine with the basalt soil and ornamental gardens and have a similar problem to the mounts with Ivy growing up trees and sometimes enveloping the whole tree.

Ivy is rampant in the village and eradication is difficult.  However, we can all do something to limit the spread of ivy. Ivy flowers and produces fruit when it climbs up a tree and the seeds are then carried into gardens and the bush by birds. English ivy will eventually choke and kill trees, even big ones, both natives and exotics.  To stop it spreading we need to focus on ivy growing on trees.  

Tree Fern Treatment

For tree ferns the task is more complex as the ivy roots grow into the trunk. To kill the ivy the stems must be scraped with a knife and the herbicide applied to the ivy stem wound, being careful to avoid the tree fern trunk. This is best done in the growing season October to end April.

Non Tree Fern Tree Treatment

For other trees the process is much easier.  Just cut the Ivy at the base and the Ivy should die. It is best also clearing about 1 m from the base of the tree.  (see video)

Herbicide

Glyphosate (Roundup) is a herbicide that is used for killing English Ivy. Please note special care must be taken when using Glyphosate. The MWPA accepts no responsibility for the use or application of any chemicals. Always check the labels and Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals and use only as directed. 

Please note that the Blue Mountains Basalt Forest in around Mt Wilson is a ‘Blue Mountains Sensitive Vegetation Community’ so extreme care needs to be taken when controlling weeds in bushland areas. The only weed control methods recommended in sensitive areas are ‘scrape and paint’, ‘cut and paint’ and ‘stem injection’. If in any doubt about how to control weeds on your property consider using an accredited weed control contractor.

Other Usefull references:

Weedwise Weed of the Month - English Ivy

Weedwise - English Ivy - Best Practices

WikiHow - How to kill English Ivy