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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Does anyone know enough about plant identification to tell whether the weeds on the embankment on Westbury Avenue (on the North side of the road between the houses and the top of the bridge) is Japanese Knotweed?  It really looked like it to me -- the spade shaped leaves and the white flowers.

If this is knotweed then does this fall to the council to sort out or is it private ground?

I should have taken a photo -- I'll try to take one to attach later.

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If you post a picture I'm sure we'll be able to tell you. I've seen it a lot in various front gardens in Harringay, along with other lovelies like russian vine and ground elder!

This from Twitter:

It probably is knotweed, there's loads of it about. There's pictures on the RHS site here: http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=218 

Beware the knotweed doom merchants though, it's really not as bad as some people would have you believe. Particularly those with a commercial incentive for telling you that your house is going to fall down or other scaremongering rubbish if you have one of these plants on your land. I eradicated it from the garden of a former property in one year using a systemic weedkiller I bought at a local garden centre. It just requires a bit of dedication and persistant treatment of regrowth.

As an aside, quite an amusing blog post here about the Japanese Knotweed Fear Industry: http://bensgarden.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/japanolinonobotanophobia/

It is EVERY bit as bad and worse. When I was recently in Ireland in the lovely Kerry town of Listowel the river banks are being completely invaded by JK which grows out other plants entirely. Only volunteers are trying to stop its progress. JK can and does grow underground to an enormous rooted base and can spread over huge areas underground so requires specialist treatment. Only by making a statutory obligation on authorities to tackle it will the problem be addressed. This plant is expanding all over the boro and if not addressed will cause enormous problems for the future. 

Fortunately (for me) this is well away from my house, but if it is knotweed then I would be very worried for the homeowners on Westbury Avenue and those backing onto it from Whymark Avenue

Here's a photo

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That looks like Russian Vine to me. I'm 99% sure, but don't bet your house on it!

Looks like Russian Vine to me.

The famous "Haringey Knotweed" in Railway Fields identified by David Bevan when he was conservation officer is a hybrid of Russian Vine and Japanese Knotweed

I've just looked for some images of Russian Vine and it does look the same. It seems that this is a nuisance plant though not quite as virulent or illegal as knotweed. Is this a problem that isworth reporting to anyone? I'm assuming the land is owned by the council - anyone know if that's the case?

the Crouch Hill Park site, the one on the southside of the Parkland Walk between Crouch Hill and Crouch End Hill, where the new building for Ashmount School is going up was found to have a serious infestation of Japanese Knotweed: delayed the build for a fortnight while it was all grubbed up. Islington Council took it VERY seriously....

Recent article in the Guardian here about knotweed and growing problems getting mortgages etc for affected properties. Having read this am curious about how the guys clearing the knotweed infected garden on Cavendish/Wightman rd a few months ago treated it and got rid of the remains.. Scary stuff.

The article includes the following points:

• If you have Japanese knotweed on your land:

It is not an offence to have Japanese knotweed on your land and it is not a notifiable weed. However, under Section 14(1) and (2), of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is a criminal offence to plant Japanese knotweed or otherwise cause it to grow in the wild.

It is a defence to a prosecution to prove that all reasonable steps were taken and all due diligence was exercised by the landowner.

The removal, eradication and disposal of the weed may be expensive but given that the presence of it can impede the sale of your property and/or affect the value, a least-risk approach would be to have it removed by licensed contractors and properly disposed of.

• If your neighbour has Japanese knotweed on their land:

Again, it is not an offence for Japanese knotweed to be present on your neighbour's land but allowing it to encroach onto your property may constitute a private nuisance under common law.

A landowner affected by knotweed growth from a neighbouring property may therefore be able to apply to court for an injunction requiring the neighbouring owner to abate the nuisance. Such a claim can also include a sum of money in damages to reflect the cost of any physical damage to the property and/or the diminution in value of the landowner's property as a result of the nuisance.


 

Whats this, is it cousin of the dreaded weed ? ...
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