The Gardening Effect

The Gardening Effect is the term coined for the rapid decline in respect of Herbologists and the discipline of Herbology due to the incorporation of the view that the natural world is Muggle and inferior as it is not magic. However it is a flawed concept as through Herbology we have looked at the wonders of plants and how they are magic (whether mundane or not) and far from inferior. Are not wizards themselves part of the natural world? The effects of this view have started to have repercussions- loss of Herbology funding, loss of candidates for Herbologists and Herbologists becoming laughing stocks and scapegoats among peers are a few of the visible ways the Gardening Effect has changed the field of Herbology.

Alien Species

An alien plant species is a type of plant or animal living outside of its original habitat, ecosystem, or geological range. These plants can invade, which involves the seed/plant propagating into the territory, adapting to the new environment and 'taking over' the habitat by growing in numbers the ecosystem can't handle. These invasive plants deplete resources (especially water) and dry out arable land as well as contaminating Herbologist's research.