Gardeners’ World host Monty Don has stirred up controversy by suggesting we should grow only native plants in the United Kingdom.  He told his audience at the recent Oxford Literary Festival that gardening with indigenous plants and working with nature by tweaking it is so much more interesting than imposing on to the natural world.  “Growing plants in a garden that would not exist without you is not very interesting”, he continued.  Monty has pledged to grow only native species in his own garden, highlighting the rich and fascinating British plant heritage.

But it seems that not everyone shares his view.  He has been accused of confusing biodiversity and native plants and of wishing to wipe out thousands of years of plant collecting history.  The Royal Horticultural Society suggests that a mix of native and non-native plants is good for wildlife and believes there is no need to restrict ourselves solely to native plants.

We cannot help thinking that our gardens would be much the poorer without such ‘exotic’ favourites as tulips, chrysanthemums, fuchsias, dahlias, rhododendrons and magnolias, although British plants such as primroses, violets, foxgloves, hollies and the wild rose deserve a place in the garden too.