How rhododendron made itself feel right at home

Peter Dowdall follows the fortunes of a plant that has travelled to Ireland from the Iberian Peninsula and Asia

Deciduous azaleas such as these on the Rhododendron Walk in Mount Usher Gardens in Wicklow add colour not just in springtime but also during the autumn.

There is a marauder travelling throughout the length and breadth of our country and, like many before, this thug is particularly fond of our coastal regions, making himself at home wherever he lays his hat or in this case, his branch or seed.

For you see, wherever a branch of Rhododendron ponticum touches the soil, before too long, roots emerge and create a new plant and in this way, along with seed dispersal, the unwelcome bully has travelled and colonised vast areas of our countryside.