In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

That is true, but what I was railing against was the recent,
politically motivated, claims that buying from a nursery for
naturalising is ecologically good

Who has been claiming that?

It is a common claim, obviously by the nurseries that stand to make
money, but I have also seen it in semi-official recommendations.

I wouldn't have thought the nurseries are politically motivated. I
haven't seen anyone else making the claim, whereas conservation
organisations like Plantlife are careful to stress the opposite, that
naturalising anything in the countryside is a bad idea.


Generally, you are PRESERVING the UK wild primrose stocks by
using plants taken from the area around you.

Only if you can guarantee to keep them alive! If you take plants from
the wild and let them die, you are doing nothing but harm.

That is not true. You do not have to GUARANTEE to keep them alive,
especially with plants like primroses. The potential gain from a
new location to establish in is so much greater than the loss of a
few plants that you merely have to have a reasonable chance. With
plants like primroses, you should think in terms of populations,
and not individual plants.

The same does not apply to all plants, of course.

I think we're probably in broad agreement here. For a complete novice to
dig up primroses and plant them somewhere where they have little chance
of survival is a bad idea. And for something rare, you'd need a damned
sight more than a 'reasonable chance'.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm