Learn how to tackle arum lilies at a local workshop that will put the spotlight on the toxic weed and how to control it in your backyard, bushland or back paddock.

The City of Busselton is teaming up with Nature Conservation Margaret River Region, to run a free, hands-on workshop tailored for landholders to help manage arum lilies on their property.

The event will be held at the Vasse Community Hall in Vasse from 3.30pm-5.00pm on Monday, August 19, with an information session followed by a spraying demonstration if weather permits.

The workshop will include information on when and how to treat arum lily safely, using special low-risk herbicide, as well as how to control them manually. It will also give landholders the chance to sign up to Nature Conservation’s Arum Lily Blitz and to receive free herbicide and printed information sheets. The City of Busselton will also provide an update on how it is controlling arum lily in local parks and reserves.

Arum lilies hail from South Africa and are particularly devastating in WA’s South-West because they outcompete native flora, reduce habitat and food availability for wildlife, and change entire ecosystems with a dense and toxic monoculture. The plants spring up from underground tubers in winter and their tall white flowers appear in spring. Applying a targeted herbicide during flowering is the only effective way to control them on a large scale.

The Arum Lily Blitz is a community-based initiative aimed at bringing residents, land management agencies, community groups and businesses together across the Capes region to address the control of arum lily. The Blitz is funded by the WA Government's State Natural Resources Management Program until 2024.

For more information visit www.busselton.wa.gov.au or www.natureconservation.org.au where you can also register to join the Arum Lily Blitz.