How does your garden grow?
Jo Cobb is a gardener, a concerned gardener. Her horticultural know-how drew our attention to a story that could affect - well, all of us. Here's part of her email:
It seems that DEFRA are going to ban the growing and sale of plants like Cotoneaster, Turkey Oak and Holm Oak and if we grow these plants we could be prosecuted under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with unlimited fines and 2 years imprisonment. Consultation runs out jan 2008.
I am a professional gardener and I grow all these beautiful plants. I just hope they will let me work in the prison garden when I'm locked up. Please find out what is going on for us.
DEFRA issued a last week. The consultation is now underway. But the devil is in the . What then for the future of , or ?
iPM has been speaking to someone who knows about these things. John Cushnie is part of the Gardeners' Question Time panel.
Here's the official line from DEFRA:
Plants such as the Cotoneaster, Turkey Oak and Holm Oak are being considered for inclusion in the updated list of species whose introduction into the wild without a licence should be made an offence - this would only affect the planting or causing of these species to grow in the wild.
These three species are not included in the second part of the consultation which considers banning the sale of 28 non-native species regarded as the most destructive. Non-native species that become invasive are considered the second greatest threat to worldwide wildlife and controlling their release into the wild is a key element of conserving our native wildlife.
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