DAFT-odil: Now EU is telling us what to plant as new laws criminalise British gardeners
British gardeners could be criminalised by new EU regulations aiming to weed out invasive species.
Banned: the popular water hyacinth will be outlawed by new EU gardening regulations
The thorny new rules are expected to be approved next month and will come into force on January 1.
They will ban green-fingered Britons from growing 14 plants species in their gardens and allotments - including some backyard favourites.
British gardeners will also be banned from plating the floating pennywort
The popular water hyacinth, curly waterweed and floating pennyworth are among the species set to be outlawed under the new regulations.
The ornamental plants can be invasive and damage eco-systems, such as the American skunk cabbage, which has taken over parts of Snowdonia and the New Forest to the detriment of weaker species.
Under attack from the EU? The great British garden.
Until now, gardening restrictions only applied to those species involved in the illegal drug trade, such as cannabis plants and opium poppies.
Keith Davenport, of the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association said the ban was “ludicrous on a scientific level”, and claimed that the outlawed plants were worth £9m year.
Snowdonia, one of the British landscapes under threat from invasive plant species
However, the move has gone down well with green campaigners, such as Trevor Dines of environmental group Plantlike.
He said: “These plants can spread fast and damage native wildlife.
“These stringent new controls are one of the most effective ways to stop species at an early stage.”
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He added that the ban only affected a handful of the 70,000 available to gardeners.
EU members now have 18 months to decide how to enforce the new rules.