Glorious blooms we must prize, not root out
WhY do some conservationists ignore the facts that don’t suit their arguments? Stephen Moss’s call for every rhododendron to be wiped off the planet was ridiculous (Mail). the problems with rhododendrons are caused by long-term neglect by landowners, which is also what happens with ragwort, bracken and other invasive plants, whether they are native or not. Many organisations such as the National trust have woken up to the fact that wild areas need managing, which they should have been doing years ago, just as any competent farmer has been doing for all of his working life. While the removal of large colonies of unwanted plants will always present a problem, rhododendrons are simple to cut down and, being shallow rooted, are easily removed. the reason that wild garlic, primroses, violets and ferns do not immediately recolonise the ground is that those plants need an alkaline soil, while rhododendrons grow only on an acid soil. Over many years of managing large gardens and open areas, I have never had any problem controlling rhododendrons. Nor have I experienced major problems in seeing other flora replacing the plants. Japanese knotweed has become a nuisance because it is not managed. It can be eradicated by appropriate treatments and clearance, and has only become a problem where it has been neglected for years.