Govetts Leap Catchment Group

05/06/2026

If you are unable to remove them please deadhead them as soon as they finish flowering.

🪴Agapanthus are pretty and popular, but many home gardeners are surprised by how easily they can spread into bushland and become serious w**ds.

Many older varieties self-seed and form dense clumps, gradually overtaking smaller native shrubs and ground-covers, crowding out native plants and contributing to bushfire conditions.

Luckily, there are stunning native alternatives that still deliver on colour, shape and toughness - while supporting bees, birds and biodiversity.

Try these natives instead:
🌱Blue flax lily (Dianella caerulea)
🌱Nodding blue lily (Stypandra glauca)
🌱Swamp lily (Crinum pedunculatum)
🌱Bulbine lily (Bulbine bulbosa)
🌱Austral indigo (Indigofera australis)
🌱Lord Howe Island wedding lily (Dietes robinsoniana)

Spread the word to your fellow gardeners! 👩‍🌾🪏💧

14/05/2026

Himalayan honeysuckle is of particular concern in Blackheath. We have spent many many hours removing this in all parts of the catchment. It is spread by birds and grows quickly, especially in damp areas. Help prevent its spread by keeping it out of your garden and property.

Himalayan Honeysuckle is a fast-spreading local w**d making itself at home in our World Heritage bushland. It grows quickly and aggressively, transforming natural areas into dense, w**dy thickets.

Birds spread the berries far and wide, helping this plant take hold across the Upper Mountains where it’s currently in flower. We encourage all residents to keep an eye out for this local w**d and help protect our bushland.

🌿 Small plants: These can be hand-pulled or dug out. Just make sure you get the whole root system.
🌿 Big plants: Use the Cut & Paint method. Slice the stem and immediately dab the stump with herbicide to kill the source.

It can also regrow from small stem fragments, so any cuttings should be handled carefully and not left in contact with the ground.

Read this fact sheet to find out more: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/documents/eps-0520-105-himalayan-honeysucklefact-sheet

16/04/2026

15/04/2026

This state priority w**d is of particular concern in Blackheath. Look for bright yellow flowers. Small plants can be pulled out. Larger plants should be cut and painted. Slashing is inadequate.

A gorse is a gorse of course, of course!

Keep an eye out as it's having a second flush of yellow pea flowers now. This spiny, branched, evergreen, perennial shrub commonly grows 1–2.5m in height and has soft leaflets that grow in groups of three.

Gorse forms dense impenetrable thickets and has long lived seeds. In National Parks and other environmental areas, gorse can compete with native vegetation and increase the risk of bushfires as it contains flammable oils and retains dead vegetation, increasing fuel loads.

For more information on this State Priority W**d, check out our fact sheet here: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/documents/gorse-fact-sheet

We're trying to eradicate this spiny shrub from the Blue Mountains so please report sightings to us at https://www2.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/ePathway/Production/Web/Mobility/CityWatch/index.html?Class=&Module=ECRREQT&Type=vm10

Photo: Courtesy of State of New South Wales

15/04/2026

Exciting news!
After more than 25 years the second edition of the wonderful book Living Near the Bush is now available.
You can read it as a Flipbook here: https://www.bluemountains.org.au/documents/LNTB/sewp/index.html
Or download it as a PDF here:https://www.bluemountains.org.au/documents/LNTB/LNTB-Edition-2.pdf
Enjoy!

11/04/2026

Blue Mountains City Council has adopted a new W**d Management Strategy at its March 2026 meeting, setting a clear and coordinated direction to tackle one of the region’s most significant environmental challenges.

Govetts Leap Catchment Group made a lengthy and detailed submission to the draft strategy during the 28 day public exhibition.

“W**ds are one of the most significant threats to biodiversity in the Blue Mountains, particularly given our location within a World Heritage-listed landscape,” Cr Greenhill said. “Through the consultation process, we heard a consistent message — people want a strategy that is ambitious, well-resourced and capable of delivering real, long-term outcomes.”

As part of the strategy’s implementation, Council will establish a W**d Management Stakeholder Engagement Group to strengthen collaboration with key partners, community organisations and land managers. The W**d Management Stakeholder Engagement Group will include a representative of the catchment groups, as well as the Conservation Society and other community organisations.

The W**d Management Strategy 2026-2031 can be downloaded from https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/documents/w**d-management-strategy-2026-2031

02/03/2026

Bushcare is a vital part of conserving our bushland. The dedication of volunteers like Rae and David is essential in these efforts.

Blue Mountains City Council is celebrating the extraordinary contribution of two long-serving Bushcare volunteers as the United Nations marks 2026 as the International Volunteer Year.

02/03/2026

Off with their heads! ✂️🌿

You may like Agapanthus in your garden but we don't like them in the bush. Help our World Heritage bushland and get out there and de-seed your Agapanthus to keep them under control.

Once flowering has finished, use secateurs to cut off the seed heads before they dry and burst, and pop all seed heads and trimmings straight into your green waste bin. A few quick snips now can stop thousands of seeds spreading into our precious bush.

Find out more about w**d management here: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/w**ds

02/02/2026

Do your agapanthus look like this? They are getting ready to spread their seeds far and wide, including into our beautiful bushland. It is time to deadhead your agapanthus. Put the flower heads into your green bin. Agapanthus in a local priority w**d.

18/01/2026

Read about: Lost Golf Balls - The Environmental Cost

Some of you may have seen us at the October ConSoc Plant Stall at Blackheath Markets, arresting the queued plant buyers with a question, “How many balls do you think we have collected?”