RHS pollinators logo hangs in the balance
Symbol may not be as bee and butterfly-friendly as it seems for plants
The Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ logo may be scrapped after the charity announced it cannot guarantee that the plants featuring the label are safe for insects.
The trademarked logo featuring a honeybee is used by retailers to help promote plants from the charity’s list of beefriendly flowers. But the RHS now says it cannot supervise how these plants are produced to ensure pesticides are not used on them, which could leave them with residues that are dangerous for our garden pollinators.
Garden centre plants are often treated with pesticides during production, and these can linger on the plant until the point of sale. In May last year a study revealed up to 70 per cent of garden centre plants tested contained neonicotinoids, insecticidal chemicals which have been increasingly linked to falls in bee numbers. Pollen samples collected from 18 different plants in the small-scale study contained a total of 13 different pesticides.
In a statement the charity said: “The Perfect for Pollinators logo represents plants to grow in gardens that provide valuable resources for pollinators, but it cannot speak for the way in which each individual plant is grown. The RHS is a charity and cannot police how hundreds of thousands of plants are grown within the horticultural trade, in the UK and across Europe, before the point of sale.
“The RHS is, therefore, considering the future of the logo and whether it should withdraw it from the market.”
The charity says this should not put gardeners off planting, as gardens full of flowers will always ultimately be better than those with no plants at all. It advised anyone who wants to remove the risk entirely should buy from organic nurseries, and added: “We need more time to explore options for the Perfect for Pollinators logo to make the best decision for our precious bees and other pollinators. We want to continue to promote the planting of flowering plants for bees and other pollinators and are working towards the best route to do this practically.”