Did you know? These plants are forbidden in French gardens

Green-fingered residents in France should ensure they are not cultivating banned plants in their gardens, after new restrictions came into force at the start of the year. 

European regulations were updated on January 1 with an aim of limiting the spread of plants deemed harmful to local ecosystems.

Until now, several of the plants have been unaffected by such rules in France (although often unofficially labelled as invasive) and could be grown in gardens without issue.

Others are weeds and can begin growing even without being intentionally planted.

Alongside cultivation, the regulations also ban the planting, selling, exchange, or transporting of these plants, both for businesses and private individuals. 

List of banned plants

As of January 1, the following are banned species, including those previously restricted. 

Names are given in English, French, and Latin:

• Pampas grass / herbe de la pampa (Cortaderia selloana);

• Ragweed / ambroisie à feuilles d’armoise (Ambrosia artemisiifolia);

• David's buddleia / buddleia de David (Buddleja davidii);

• Floating primrose-willow / jussie (Ludwigia peploides, L. grandiflora);

• American grape / raisin d’Amérique (Phytolacca americana);

• Glandular ailanthus / ailante glanduleux (Ailanthus altissima);

• Paper mulberry / mûrier à papier (Broussonetia papyrifera);

• Himalayan balsam / balsamine de l’Himalaya (Impatiens glandulifera);

• Groundsel tree / séneçon en arbre (Baccharis halimifolia);

• Japanese knotweed / renouée du Japon (Reynoutria japonica) –note that this includes various hybrid species

• Crassula / crassule (Crassula helmsii);

• Carolina cabomba / cabomba de Caroline (Cabomba caroliniana); 

• Water hyacinth / jacinthe d’eau (Eichhornia crassipes);

• Water lettuce / laitue d’eau (Pistia stratiotes);

• Brazilian watermilfoil / myriophylle du Brésil (Myriophyllum aquaticum).

Note this list is accurate as of February 2026. Further species may be added by later European regulations.

What to do if the plants are already present 

If one of these species was already present in your garden prior to January 2026, you are not necessarily required to remove it.

Local authorities such as the Office français de la biodiversité and DREAL (Direction Régionale de l'Environnement, de l'Aménagement et du Logement – the regional administrative body responsible for implementing state policies on sustainable development, housing, transport, and environment) rarely carry out plant checks on the gardens of individual residences (these are usually made on businesses or professional cultivators). 

If you do have a banned species in your garden but it is clear it was simply there prior to the ban, nothing will happen.

However, as you cannot sell, exchange, or replant any of the above species, removal as soon as possible is recommended.

You can then replant a local and non-invasive species in its place.

If you struggle – some plants such as Japanese knotweed are notorious for their persistence, for example – you can hire local gardening professionals to help.

Those caught selling the plants or purposefully cultivating them risk fines of up to €150,000 and a three-year prison sentence as stipulated in Article L415-3 of France’s Environmental Code. 

However, this mostly applies to repeat offenders.