As of: March 18, 2024, 8:02 p.m
By: Sandra Sporer
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Some ornamental plants are taboo in German gardens.
They are banned by the EU because they are invasive species.
There is a risk of five-figure fines.
Kassel – In spring it is time for hobby gardeners to spruce up their home garden and plant them.
If you prefer ornamental plants instead of a kitchen garden with home-grown vegetables and fruit, you also have a wide range to choose from.
However, you should look carefully here, because there are some species that you should definitely not plant for the sake of the environment.
They are invasive species that can damage the local ecosystem.
This danger is so serious that they are even officially banned by the EU.
Invasive species endanger the local ecosystem – EU ban aims to curb spread
The ban includes trade, breeding, keeping and release into the wild and is enshrined in the EU regulation on the
“
prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species”.
The regulation covers both animal and plant species that are not originally native to the EU.
The African pennisetum grass looks like a great eye-catcher for your own garden.
However, it is one of the invasive species whose cultivation is banned by the EU.
© PRILL Media Design & Photography/IMAGO
For a species to be covered by the regulation, it must “threaten or adversely affect biodiversity and associated ecosystem services,” the regulation states.
And to such an extent that “they require concerted action at Union level (...)”.
Many of the invasive species spread extremely quickly and can therefore displace native plants.
If you discover pink eggs in your garden, you should destroy them immediately.
This is also an invasive species.
These invasive species are on the EU red list
A total of 40 plants are on the EU's list that are not allowed to be grown to protect the countries' ecosystems.
22 of them have already been found growing wild in Germany and their spread should be contained as much as possible.
These are the invasive species that are already occurring wild in Germany:
German name |
Scientific name |
|---|---|
Tree of heaven |
Ailanthus altissima |
Common milkweed |
Asclepias syriaca |
Karolina mermaid |
Cabomba caroliniana |
Round-leaved tree shrike |
Celastrus orbiculatus |
Water hyacinth |
Eichhornia crassipes |
Narrow-leaved waterweed |
Elodea nuttallii |
Giant hogweed |
Heracleum mantegazzianum |
Sosnowskyi hogweed |
Heracleum sosnowskyi |
Japanese hops |
Humulus scandens |
Large pennywort |
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides |
Glandular balsam |
Impatiens glandulifera |
Himalayan mountain knotweed |
Koenigia polystachya |
Alternating leaf waterweed |
Lagarosiphon major |
Large-flowered hayweed |
Ludwigia grandiflora |
Flooding hayweed |
Ludwigia peploides |
Yellow calla lily |
Lysichiton americanus |
Brazilian milfoil |
Myriophyllum aquaticum |
Various-leaved milfoil |
Myriophyllum heterophyllum |
Carrot herb |
Parthenium hysterophorus |
Mixed knotweed |
Persicaria perfoliata |
Water salad |
Pistia stratiotes |
Annoying floating fern |
Salvinia molesta |
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Such a spread can still be prevented for the remaining 19 species because they have not yet been spotted growing wild in Germany.
These are the invasive species that do not grow wild in Germany:
German name |
Scientific name |
|---|---|
Willow leaf acacia |
Acacia saligna |
Alligator weed |
Alternanthera philoxeroides |
Blue-stemmed broom sedge |
Andropogon virginicus |
Cross shrub |
Baccharis halimifolia |
Balloon wine |
Cardiospermum grandiflorum |
Andean pampas grass |
Cortaderia jubata |
Steppe grass |
Ehrharta calycina |
Chilean giant rhubarb |
Gunnera tinctoria |
False water friend |
Gymnocoronis spilanthoides |
Needle-leaf pincushion |
Hakea sericea |
Persian hogweed |
Heracleum persicum |
Chinese bush clover |
Lespedeza cuneata |
Japanese climbing fern |
Lygodium japonicum |
Japanese stilt grass |
Microstegium vimineum |
African Pennisetum |
Pennisetum setaceum |
Mesquite tree |
Prosopis juliflora |
Kudzu |
Pueraria montana var. lobata |
Okamura's brown algae |
Rugulopteryx okamurae |
Chinese tallow tree |
Triadica sebifera |
Individuals can do their part to prevent the spread of invasive species
Private individuals are also encouraged to keep an eye on not contributing to the spread of invasive species.
The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection advises “to prevent the accidental introduction of invasive species by cleaning clothing, luggage and equipment from diving, climbing or fishing.”
But what if you deliberately ignore the ban?
This could get expensive.
According to the
Federal Nature Conservation Act
(Chapter 10, Paragraph 7), in this case there is a risk of a “fine of up to fifty thousand euros”.
Another species that may soon no longer be allowed to be planted in Germany is the cherry laurel - it is already banned in Switzerland.
The Asian hornet is also spreading more and more.
(
sp
)