SPECIAL VIRGINIA CREEPER CONTROL SERVICES

OUR SPECIALIST CONTROL SERVICES WILL TREAT OR ERADICATE THIS SPECIES. TO FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE VIRGINIA CREEPER USE OUR FREE ID TOOL OR BOOK A SURVEY

TREATMENT & REMOVAL

Is Virginia creeper hard to remove? This vigorously growing plant is one of the easier climbers to remove. It can be kept under control by cutting back hard at the end of the growing season and young plants can easily be removed by manually pulling the roots up, but if left to its own devices and it takes over it will require herbicide treatment. As the plant waste is deemed as special ‘controlled waste’ it will need to be taken to a suitably licensed landfill.

WHY IS VIRGINIA CREEPER A PROBLEM?

This plant is listed as a Schedule 9 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, therefore it is an offence to plant or allow to spread into the wild as it will quickly take over habitats. It is not illegal to plant on your own property but it is an offence to allow it to spread onto other properties.

Can also cause damage to structures and property as the weight of these climbers can contribute to branches breaking or collapse of the host’s canopy.

ABOUT VIRGINIA CREEPER

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Parthenocissus quinquefolia

ORIGIN: America

Virginia creeper is a vigorous deciduous climber with either tendrils or disk-like suckers and an abundance of lobed green leaves that turn bright red and orange in autumn. It originally came to the UK in 1629 as a decorative plant, but it was first recorded in the wild in 1927. Birds and small mammals are known to eat the berries and disperse them in their droppings, but it’s not yet clear how viable the seeds are in the UK climate.

• Can grow up to, and beyond 50ft high.
• Leaves grow in an alternate pattern, turning a distinctive bright red in autumn.
• Stems are reddish-brown.
• Flowering is in late May to August.
• Dark purple berry fruits ripen in September and October.

HABITAT

Virginia creeper is scattered throughout England and Wales, frequent in the south, rarer in Scotland. As it grows by attaching itself to structures, or other plants or even trees, it is most often seen enveloping buildings, houses and structures where it can entwine itself around.

IMPACT: MEDIUM

The plant is fast-growing on trees or shrubs and reduces the availability of light, swamping and out-competing other climbers, plants or trees in its path.

TOXICITY: MEDIUM

If the leaves or berries are ingested they can cause irritation to the lips, mouth, tongue, and throat. Although rare, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and difficulty swallowing have been reported. The plant’s sap can be an irritant.