Close up of flowering head Photo by Peter Roworth Widely planted in woodlands as winter cover for pheasants in the past, this practice has now stopped. As well as woodland, rhododendron can also colonise and swamp valuable heath and grassland habitats and even sand dunes. Rhododendron's ability to regenerate rapidly from seed, suckers and rootlets means it is invasive, forming tangles of impenetrable evergreen vegetation. This habit has left it few friends amongst conservationists and forest managers. The deep shadow cast by this plant and the leaf litter accumulating under it combine to produce a sterile dank environment supporting little wildlife.
Access is tortuous too through both the impenetrable thickets and mature stands.
Although rhododendron may be a landscape feature, especially around lakes and ponds and informal or woodland gardens, where it becomes rampant control may be essential. Controlling rhododendron once established is an extremely expensive but a necessary task if it is not to shade out other valuable habitats and their associated wildlife. When control is necessary, large excavators may be the only way to root out mature rhododendron. Using a brushcutter to clear rhododendron Photo by Peter Roworth Smaller clumps can be cut manually or with brush cutters and the stumps sprayed to prevent regrowth. Smaller plants from regrowth can be sprayed with approved chemicals.