Skunk Cabbage

Today I was giving a talk at the Stonefield Castle Hotel in Tarbert, it is a very grand hotel. I had time to have a very quick look around the gardens while I was there.

Amid the pouring rain I spotted this skunk cabbage. This plant is very commonly grown in bog gardens and is widely available from garden centres and nurseries. It escapes into the wild probably from garden material being dumped, as colonies quickly outgrow their space. It is also likely that some wild populations have become established from seed dispersed from nearby gardens.

With its very large leaves and rapid rate of spread, it can out-compete native plants and cause extensive damage locally. Given the popularity of this plant in gardens and its continued introduction into the wild, it is likely to increase.

I have seen the results of this plant running wild in native woods. I recommend you never buy this for your garden as it is a problem plant no matter how pretty it may look when it flowers..