Here’s a good deal for the garden – free native trees in exchange for bags of weeds!

Redland City Council’s IndigiScapes environmental centre is running its popular Trees for Weeds Day on Saturday 5 October to raise awareness of plants that are bad for the environment and local wildlife and encourage residents to replace them with species native to the area.

Environment spokesperson Cr Paul Gleeson said people could swap shopping bags of weeds for up to five plants between 10am and 4pm on the weed awareness day.

“This Council event is a great way for people to combat the spread of weeds in the local environment, while at the same time getting some new plants for their home garden,” he said.

“There’ll be free weed advice from Council experts and the native plant nursery will also be open for sales.”

Cr Gleeson said all weeds brought in would be accepted but this year four noxious plants in particular were being singled out.

“There’s an old saying that a weed is a plant in the wrong place. In the case of Easter Cassia, Climbing Asparagus, Mile-a-Minute and Black-eyed Susan this is very true,” he said.

“Residents are probably familiar with these weeds. They are all invasive plant pests, not only a nuisance in the garden but they do a lot of damage outcompeting native species in the natural environment.”

While Easter Cassia was a shrub with long seed pods and masses of bright yellow flowers commonly found in local gardens, Cr Gleeson said the others were all aggressive climbers.

“Climbing asparagus fern is a classic example of a garden plant wreaking havoc in the bush. It’s a nasty, prickly Declared Class 3 weed that smothers native trees and plants and scrambles along the ground when there’s nothing in its path to climb,” he said.

“Mile-a-minute is an equally noxious trailing vine with purple flowers and five-fingered leaves
while Black-eyed Susan is a creeper with heart-shaped leaves and is immediately identifiable for its bright gold flowers with a striking black centre.

“If you have these pests in your yard, do yourself and the environment a favour and root them out.”

No bookings are required to take part in the Redlands’ Trees for Weeds Day, just turn up at IndigiScapes nursery, 17 Runnymede Road, Capalaba after 10am and before 4pm on Saturday 5 October.