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flower stems don't do any harm and can be left to flower...
Quote from: goodlife on April 17, 2014, 09:48:31flower stems don't do any harm and can be left to flower...I was pleased to find interesting discussions like this here, so I just registered.I agree with you that the flowers / seed heads don't do any harm so, last year, I decided to let them develop naturally, to collect the seed. As a result, I now have some small new rhubarb plants developing at home, potentially to replace some of the weaker specimens on my allotment.But the allotment manager told me off, saying it looked untidy. Is that fair? I agree it wouldn't be what you expect for entering a competition or the Chelsea Flower Show but should all allotments be polished up to that kind of standard?
As regards "tidy" allotments I can't see that having a lot of rhubarb plants is untidy? It does rather depend on the allotment secretary and the committee. Some are very "organised" people who cannot understand why other plots are not regimented like theirs (just look at their plots!) Others are much more flexible. The boundary between untidy and freestyle is vague and a matter of opinion. The secretary has to obey the rules laid down by the council but they can often be "open to interpretation".Just ask for the secretary for the specific council rule that forbids what you want to do! If it's vague challenge it.