Natural England funds Devon's Himalayan Balsam battle A battle to get rid of a foreign plant invader is being fought on river banks and verges in Devon. Himalayan Balsam is taking over swathes of land - it can be cut back quite quickly and once it has gone, native species will come back. The Royal Horticultural Society says the balsam is a relative of the Busy Lizzie but reaches well over head height, and is a major weed problem, especially on riverbanks and waste land. A £300,000 project funded by Natural England is under way to fight the plant along the River Axe in East Devon.