SPECIALIST winter heliotrope CONTROL SERVICES

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

TREATMENT & REMOVAL

The best method of control is herbicide application when the plant is growing but just before it starts to flower. For a permanent solution digging it up is recommended but as with all rhizomatous plants, getting rid of Winter heliotrope means extraction of all parts of the plant.

To find out the best way to remove Winter heliotrope and the best time of year to have treatment or excavation carried out get in touch.

WHY IS WINTER HELIOTROPE A PROBLEM?

It can be an aggressively invasive weed if not controlled, and has become problematic by being allowed to spread from gardens into the wild where it will then smother native species.

ABOUT WINTER HELIOTROPE

SCIENTIFIC NAME: (Petasites fragrans)

ORIGIN: Southwestern Europe, Southeastern Europe, North Africa

It was first introduced into the UK in 1806 as an ornamental plant, later to be recorded in the wild in 1835. Winter heliotrope is a dioecious, rhizomatous, perennial herb, meaning it grows from an underground rhizome (root) system that spreads very easily. It produces fragrant flowers in winter, its leaves forming large dense patches.

• Smells of vanilla or cherry
• Vibrant green heart or kidney shaped leaves
• Pale pink clumping flowers (the male variety) form from November to early February
• Grows up to 30cm high

HABITAT

Winter heliotrope is commonly found in rough grassland, especially roadsides. It is quite shade-tolerant hence being prolific in woodland margins. Common in England, Ireland and Wales, less so in the Northern regions or in Scotland. It prefers damp habitats such as beside streams or running ditches and along hedgerows.

IMPACT: MEDIUM

It can be spread easily by fragments of rhizomes discarded as garden waste, left along roadsides by machinery, and along watercourses, forming dense stands that smothers other vegetation.

TOXICITY: ZERO

Winter heliotrope presents no physical danger to either humans or animals.