Purple Rhododendron blooms can be seen everywhere at the moment. They look magnificent in gardens as they love the acid soils around here. However, that is a problem on important habitats like Ashdown Forest where they are very invasive. Very few of our insects can use their waxy leaves and they shade out the Heather very quickly. This is why garden waste should never be dumped in the countryside as escaped garden plants can cause terrible trouble many years later!
