Gardener asks social media: ‘What is this weed and how do I get rid of it?’ – and get their ‘worst fears’ confirmed

A gardener who took to social media for advice after discovering an unidentified weed ended up with bad news.

The anonymous green-fingered poster posted pictures of the incriminating plant to the r/GardeningUK subreddit and asked: ‘What is this weed and how do I get rid of it?’

They added: It comes across from the neighbor and has spread across the front garden over the winter.’

Responses confirmed it was the dreaded Japanese willow – which is expensive to remove, can grow through walls and can even prevent you from getting a mortgage on your home.

One comment said: ‘Uh oh, that’s the bad one.’

However, there was a twist – it was actually an unreported case of the invasive plant in a house that was for sale

However, there was another twist.

The original Redditer followed up: ‘Thanks everyone. This has confirmed my worst fears.

‘I’ve told a little lie, this is actually on a property for sale, not my garden. We really liked it, but now we’re obviously out.

“The estate agent had no idea, but the owner has clearly cut it down aggressively.

‘The weeds have probably (sic) spread from this property to the adjoining ones as this property is a historic cottage and the infestation covers about 90 sq m..! It is very established and under two TPO’d (tree preservation order) walnut trees.

“Is there any need to report it now that it has been discovered?”

One response advised reporting it to the local council, but others urged the poster not to give up on the property.

One commenter suggested: ‘If you like the property, don’t let that put you off. Make an offer contingent on the seller purchasing a 10 year warranty remediation plan with a certified provider, and lowball.

‘Buyers happy to take this on are few and far between and so you’re in a fantastic position. When the seller has a treatment plan in place, you can continue with mortgage loans etc.

‘Rock cleaning is super effective. Wait a few years before doing major gardening work in the area. The willow company will try to sell you nuts ways to do gardening.

‘If you don’t have regrowth for 12 months, continue with what the garden needs. I speak as someone who did exactly this 5 years ago and got the house we loved for 15,000 below asking in a super competitive market because we were unfazed by the tailwind. It’s all gone now and we don’t have to declare it to a buyer.’

Sellers are required to declare Japanese willow, but you can actually still see a house with it.

The plant tends to devalue properties by about 10 percent, but can totally destroy a property’s value in the worst cases where the plant is closer to buildings and more entrenched.

It can also put off mortgage lenders, so if you’re buying a property with willow on it, make sure the seller already has a plan to remove it. These will tend to include a 10-year insurance-backed warranty to complete the treatment of the weeds.

According to Checkatrade, full excavation and removal of knotweed costs an average of £6,500.

Despite all the legal obligations, it’s definitely worth knowing what to look out for when it comes to house hunting and willow herb.

This is especially important in areas where willow is most common, which tends to be all the big cities. The environment has a knotweed heatmap to help with this.

Knowweed is recognizable by its thick stems, paddle-shaped leaves, red shoots, small white flowers and orange roots.