Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Bluebell Creeper

Buyer Beware of  Bluebell Creeper!

Bluebell creeper; an evergreen climber, producing attractive flowers, tolerant to a rage of growing conditions and native to Australia. With all this in mind it comes as no surprise that bluebell creeper can be an avid gardener’s plant of choice! Native to Western Australia’s south coast, the creeper is undoubtedly well suited to Victoria’s coastal areas. From a gardeners point of view this is ideal, from the perspective of Victorias natural environment however, not so ideal. As with many plants for sale at the local nursery, all bought with good intents and purposes, bluebell creeper has found its way beyond the back yard fence into natural areas. The plant doesn’t get to these areas trough creeping, (as the name suggests) but rather it is spread far and wide by birds and foxes. Ripe seed is carried during the months of March to May and wherever the fox or the bird goes, so too a new plant will emerge! Beginning as isolated plants, bridal creeper fast develops into an aggressive invading front that smoothers all vegetation in its path. Such is being evidenced in coastal parts of South Gippsland.

The control of Bluebell creeper has recently been assessed as a high priority for Parks Victoria in coastal areas of South Gippsland. The assessment rated weeds according to the threat or impacts posed by a particular species i.e. effect on native flora. Results of the assessment determined that if left uncontrolled bluebell creeper has the potential to significantly degrade coastal vegetation communities.
Local Parks Victoria Ranger David Farrah explains “controlling bluebell creeper infestations in areas such as Cape Liptrap Coastal Park is a must, without adequate control the quality of native vegetation within this coastal zone is compromised”. 

For those with Bluebell Creeper, it’s not to say that you should drop everything upon reading this and immediately remove all traces of the plant from your yard. Rather the idea of this article is to raise awareness about the threats associated with the plant. Be conscious of the land use in surrounding areas- no garden is an island. If your property is close to areas of native vegetation vulnerable to invasion be mindful that it can spread. Consider phasing out the creeper by replacing it with a suitable alternative. Control is best achieved in August to late September whilst the plant is actively growing and before the plants flower and bear fruit.

When selecting plants for your garden as a general rule ask yourself two basic questions
1) how it can be spread and
2) what are the impacts or consequences in the event that it does spread.
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you choose a suitable plant and prevent a garden plant from becoming an unwanted garden escapee.
If you would like further information on bluebell creeper please contact Kate Williams, Project Officer with the South Gippsland Landcare on 03 5613 5973 or email katew@wgcma.vic.gov.au For more information regarding the Parks Victoria weed control program please contact the Parks Victoria office at Foster on 03 5683 9000.