A Connecticut woman is appealing to her local Board of Selectmen  to create a local law prohibiting people from growing invasive plants after claiming that her yard has been ruined by her neighbor’s bamboo trees.
 
“This is the worst of the worst of invasive, non-native plants,” said Caryn Rickel, after showing the Selectmen a root ball she had dug up.  Despite not being on the state's list of invasive plants, Rickel claims it can grow vigorously if left unchecked.  "It can grow two feet in one day,” she said.
 
First Selectman Paul Roy said the matter is a dispute between neighbors. “Our zoning enforcement officer and blight officials have checked into the issue. The town does not have any regulations concerning this plant and it is not on the state’s list of invasive plants. The zoning enforcement officer has checked all sources for information on the plant and it is not something illegal so at this point it would seem to be a private matter, “ Roy said.
 
Unhappy with this decision, Rickel has filed a civil lawsuit against her neighbor, Michael and Roberta Komaromi, who she said planted the bamboo in 1994. It now has snaked its way into three properties.
 
“The hair roots and rhizomes are every place and extend approx 80 feet along my property lines,” Rickel writes in her lawsuit. “My land has been ruined by this planting . . .”
 
Rickel, who is seeking an unspecified amount of damages in her lawsuit, claims that her neighbor planted the bamboo without the required underground plastic barrier. She claimed he attempted to install a barrier several months ago, but it was too late as the root systems have overtaken her property.
 
The Komaromis have filed for a motion to dismiss the case, partly on grounds that there is no law or regulation against the purchase and planting of running Bamboo.  The court has not decided on the motion.
 
—Source:  Valley Independent Sentinel (Connecticut)