Lindow's army of volunteers got it done!

Himalayan balsam is a plant that is native, as the name suggests, to the foothills of the Himalayas in Asia. Its beautiful pink flowers led Victorian plant hunters to take some and introduce it to British gardens back in 1839.

Since then, a number of factors have led to Himalayan balsam establishing itself as one of the most invasive plants in Britain, outcompeting a range of valuable native species and harming habitats for our birds, insects and mammals. One of these factors is that each plant produces up to 800 seeds as it flowers multiple times throughout the summer!

Over 2 sessions, volunteers have managed to clear a huge area of balsam giving native plants the space they need!

A huge thank you to everyone for their help!

The same area before and after the balsam was pulled.