We want to stop, reduce, control and ease the effects of invasive species on our ecosystem, health and economy. Our plan is laid out in the Invasive Species Management Strategy [PDF - 592 KB] (ISMS).
Check out our update on the use of pesticides [PDF - 155 KB] to treat invasive plant species in Saanich.
Most of our effort utilizes manual and mechanical treatment (removing by hand or machine). Only a small percent of effort is spent using chemical treatment - and only if the best mangement practices (BMP) dictates.
There are a few species where the BMP is chemical treatment to prevent their spread. When chemical treatment is required, it is performed using spot spray treatments, or hand painted, on the surface of the target species with the utmost care. Species treated with herbicides include: Shiny geranium, Lesser celandine, Garlic mustard, Knotweed, Holly and Gorse.
Learn more about our invasive plant management program by reading our Q&A about pesticide use [PDF - 216 KB].
We manage more than 600 invasive plant sites on park and public land.
Some common naughty plants include:
Knotweed [PDF - 2 MB]
We are treating close to 200 knotweed sites on both public and private land.
Poison Hemlock [PDF - 187 KB]
Poison hemlock spreads throughout Saanich along boulevards and in some parks. We carefully dig out the tap root while removing the entire plant.
Purple Loosestrife
Purple loosestrife is an aggressive wetland plant that spreads quickly along creeks and ponds. Colquitz Creek and Viaduct Pond are two well established populations of this invasive plant.
Himalayan Blackberry
Pulling Together volunteers often remove invasive blackberries in our parks.
Lesser Celandine [PDF - 1 MB]
Lesser celandine is an extremely aggressive ground cover that will very quickly take over an area.
English Holly
English holly is well established in many of our forested parks. Volunteers and staff work together to treat this invasive tree.
While we have well-established invasive plants in Saanich, we need to keep them from spreading further. We also need to protect sensitive natural areas from them.
You can help:
- Control invasive plants on your land.
- Properly dispose of garden waste and invasives.
- Volunteer with our Pulling Together program to remove invasive plants from parks and trails.
To learn how to control some of our most established weeds, review our brochure:
To properly dispose of invasive plants, go to our Invasive Plant Disposal page.