Lynchmere Common - A little Rhodie Bashing

The task for the volunteers working on the commons this Sunday was to attack a large patch of young Rhododendron plants. Commonly referred to in conservation circles as 'Rhodie Bashing'.

The site is on Stanley common, the furthest south of the 3 registered commons that make up the Lynchmere commons and close to Liphook. The common probably derives its name from the nearby Stanley farm which has been around for long enough to have an entry in the Domesday book.


Introduced into England around 1760 and originally cultivated for their ornamental nature these large shrubs have become a common sight, not just in large gardens but also scattered through woodlands.

Rhododendron (Ponticum) or common Rhododendron is a very aggressive and invasive species. Once established it's hard to eradicate. It will regrow from the roots very strongly and if you manage to remove the roots it will often re-emerge from the vast quantities of seed that it leaves lying dormant in the ground.


Sometimes it seems that all we ever do is cut, slash and burn, removing plants with abandon. Lowland heath is characterised by its very poor soil, created over the centuries by overgrazing and the constant removal of most plants. The resulting acid and nutrient poor soil generally favours the rare heathland plants but the Rhodies will thrive here and very quickly crowd out the native species.

The number of plants grows rapidly as the seed spreads across the common, so its best to attack the problem as early as possible.


Unfortunately Rhodies are well established on neighbouring lands, the Forestry Commission site at Iron Hill, for example, and this means that removal of the plants will be a constant activity for the foreseeable future as it spreads across the boundary.

The site we were working on is particularly thick, and is regenerating from seed left behind as a very large group of rhodies, which I'm told was known locally as 'the cathedral', were removed several years ago.



We did not clear the whole site, so will be back again. I may also visit with the tractor and swipe later in the year as we no longer use chemicals on the common and it will be necessary to repeat the treatment until they get the message.

To help with the work I drafted in a few friends as volunteers for some exercise in the fresh air. Special mention must go to Hannah for moving such vast amounts to the bonfire that she occasionally blended into the surroundings, here seen camoflaged as a Rhodie. Also to Adam, for not chopping off his dad's fingers with the loppers and for help with poking the fire.