Not all plants sit easily at one end of the spectrum running from ‘native’ to ‘alien’. The author considers the case of Deptford Pink, which leads him to take a sideways look at wild-plant conservation and the urge to garden.
This is the story of a delightful little pink which has been the subject of ardent conservation efforts in Britain, because it is thought to be a rare native plant in rapid decline. It illustrates the risk of concentrating conservation efforts on what are thought to be declining, native rare plants; of putting species before habitats.