Gardeners should not buy rhododendron ponticum because of the threat to native trees and wildlife, the Woodland Trust has said.The imported plants often arrive with the deadly disease Phytophthora ramorum, which can be fatal to more than 150 plant species, the charity said.
It said the popular plant can be particularly damaging to the UK's rare temperate rainforests, and can cost the country millions of pounds a year to tackle.The species was introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant in 1793, and was widely planted in formal gardens before spreading further into the countryside.
The Woodland Trust said that although rhododendron ponticum was not the most common variety of the species for sale, it was becoming more widely available in British supermarkets.
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