There are many benefits to a garden that's teeming with plant life. Not only can a beautiful garden make your property more appealing to buyers, some research suggests that tending plants is great for your mental health, plus your local bees will certainly appreciate all those flowers.

But there are some plants that no gardener wants to find in their flowerbeds. Certain species are renowned for their uncontrollable growing rate, or for the damage they're capable of causing. Some plants - such as Japanese knotweed - can even lead to legal trouble if you allow them to spread.

Come with us as we examine five problematic plants that you definitely don't want anywhere near your garden...

More...

If local councils or police are made aware of someone who's "acting unreasonably and persistently or continually acting in a way that has a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality" they can issue a community protection notice. These notices can be issued for a range of reasons including, noise nuisance, rubbish tipping and antisocial behaviour, however, they can also be issued for problems relating to invasive species like Japanese knotweed.

More...

Last year, we received an enquiry from the Llanharan Miners Hall in Rhondda Cynon Taf. They were concerned because Japanese knotweed had spread onto their land from a neighbouring property - quite a common problem, unfortunately - and they wanted to make sure the plant didn't get out of control.

Taylor Total Weed Control carried out a survey of the affected site and recommended a treatment programme, which is now in progress.

More...

We've spoken extensively about the problems Japanese knotweed can cause if you're applying for a mortgage, so it comes as no surprise that RICS has recorded over 1.45 million property sales that have been aborted when mortgage lenders found out the properties are located near the invasive weed.

More...

The line between 'good plants' and 'weeds' is often very blurred. Some plants may be considered weeds in some gardens, and welcome guests in others; it all depends on whose garden you're looking at. Of course, while there are no hard and fast rules, there are plants that are (more or less) universally considered 'pests' or 'problematic' - take Japanese knotweed for example. These tend to be the weeds we look out for when we do a survey of your garden! If you'd like to find out what makes a plant a weed, just keep reading.

More...