It’s a major problem in our part of Devon. Lots of little streams in the village and lots of Himalayan balsam along the edges. Local groups regularly organise groups of volunteers to go round pulling up as much as they can from the hedgerows. It looks like it outcompeted your bindweed, but it does the same to lots of desirable native wild flowers. It’s a shame as it is such a pretty plant.
I was actually sold a plant many years ago at a Garden Open Day. I planted it in my garden thinking in my ignorance it was such a pretty plant. Next thing I knew I had seedlings throughout my flower bed and all over the lawn. Spent the next few years trying to get rid of it.
It's the same problem here @Ergates, a patch along a tiny water course (spring water off the hills) along the lane suddenly appeared and despite trying our best to pull it out occasionally, has now seeded itself all down our local stream on both banks. This stream is culverted under the village high street and eventually discharges into the Avon so that is most likely over run as well. What I don't quite understand is how it could have got to the tiny watercourse in the first place, it's surrounded by fields on hills. Birds presumably?
It's a major problem here too - what with that and r*ddy Rhodo ponticum, and Giant Hogweed, it's a wonder we have any other vegetation left up here. It just gets flung anywhere and everywhere, and gets carried into watercourses. Most water sources are higher up and feed down into those lower down. It puts wildlife at risk too because it stamps out the planting they rely on. It isn't just vegetation it destroys.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Seeds can be carried on an animal’s coat or feathers … mud on a shoe, carried in water from puddles in heavy rain …. there’s loads of ways a seed can travel 25 metres … and it only takes one seed 😧
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I was trying to look up the law around that (and whether I could get the landowner to sort it out). Perhaps I missed something, but from what I gather it is only illegal to plant on public land and furthermore someone could just claim they didn´t know about the weeds etc.
Possibly it´s something I´ll have to live with until hundreds have become thousands (as one website states).
No more bindweed at least....BUT I noticed on further inspection there were 7-8 of these that were growing under and in between other shrubbery I have in my garden (fortunately easy to pull out). Though the invasion has already started and now I wonder if I´ll be able to grow any other flowers (even at the far side of the garden away from the fence).
They are at least pretty easy to recognise and easy to pull out. We found that being vigilant was the key, and at least it ensured that we kept up with the weeding 😉
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Apparently it's illegal to "plant or allow it to grow in the wild". What that means in practice is probably open to interpretation, but allowing it to set seed where it could spread outside your own property could be seen as allowing it to grow in the wild.
As @Dovefromabove says, at least it's not got monster deep roots so it's easy to pull the ones on your property.
If you can find out who owns the adjacent land, it might be worth mentioning it to them.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
We have it growing along our river banks and it is getting more and more invasive.
It is the same as oil seed rape (which isn't grown nearby but the seeds have found a new niche) that has taken over the river banks and whilst the EA does cut back they often leave it too late and they have all seeded and the circle continues.
As @Lizzie27 says it does look like a very nice flowering plant and then you find how invasive it is.
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It's the same problem here @Ergates, a patch along a tiny water course (spring water off the hills) along the lane suddenly appeared and despite trying our best to pull it out occasionally, has now seeded itself all down our local stream on both banks. This stream is culverted under the village high street and eventually discharges into the Avon so that is most likely over run as well. What I don't quite understand is how it could have got to the tiny watercourse in the first place, it's surrounded by fields on hills. Birds presumably?
It just gets flung anywhere and everywhere, and gets carried into watercourses. Most water sources are higher up and feed down into those lower down.
It puts wildlife at risk too because it stamps out the planting they rely on. It isn't just vegetation it destroys.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.