Alan Titchmarsh warns of dangerous new gardening craze which could wreck wildlife – but is loved by millions
GARDENERS have been following his advice for years – and now Alan Titchmarsh has lifted the lid on a major mistake that millions are making.
Alan, 74, warned that while ‘rewilded’ gardens might be all the rage, it’s actually a major threat to wildlife and could lead to ‘catastrophic’ results.
The green-fingered TV star gave evidence to a peers’ horticultural sector committee inquiry.
In his evidence, he said he had first-hand evidence that this type of garden makeover – which encourages gardeners to turn their gardens into a wilderness – attracts less insects and birds.
Alan said he had set aside a wildflower meadow in the garden of his Hampshire home and then went on to compare it to the rest of his outside space.
Alan explained: “Domestic gardens and well-planted parks offer an opportunity to all forms of wildlife – be they birds seeking nesting sites in hedges, berried plants that provide winter food, or shrubs that offer shelter to mammals.
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“Domestic gardens with their greater plant diversity offer sustenance and shelter to wildlife from March through to November. Nine months of nourishment.”
But the presenter went on to claim: “A rewilded garden will offer nothing but straw and hay from August to March. A four-month flowering season is the norm.”
He added: “I find it worrying that misleading propaganda suggests only native plants are of any value to wildlife and the environment.”
The former Gardeners World host then shared how he’d seen the effects in his own garden.
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Alan said: “This is at odds with my experience as the custodian of a two-acre wildflower meadow and garden.
“The garden is patently richer – and for longer – in the variety of insect and bird species it sustains.
“Domestic gardeners have a duty to ensure the survival of this unparalleled resource.
“Should a current fashionable and ill-considered trend deplete our gardens of their botanical riches then we have presided over a diminution in biodiversity of catastrophic proportions.”
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In his written submission, he concluded that plants from abroad were also fundamental in improving a garden's health.
Alan went on to share: “No other country sustains such a wide variety of plant life on a domestic and local amenity level.
“While this might seem at odds with preserving our native flora, it has increased the biodiversity in our gardens and parks to an enormous degree.
“Wildlife is adaptable and will quickly learn which plants are of value, regardless of their country of origin.
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“Add to this that such a diversity of plant species and varieties extends our gene pool – offering benefits such as pest and disease resistance, adaptability to climate change and global warming – and far from our parks and gardens being polluted by such introductions they are enriched.”
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