WEEDKILLER WOES

This year an increasing number of gardeners have reported that their plants and seedlings produced severely distorted growth or were even wiped out. Photographs shared on social media showed the twisted leaves and growing shoots typical of contamination with the herbicide aminopyralid.

Aminopyralid (and clopyralid, a similar product) is an approved selective weedkiller for grass, primarily for use by farmers, but it is also in some over-the-counter products in garden centres. It is perfectly