IT helps flavour some of our finest malt whiskies and has heated the homes of generations of Hebrideans and Highlanders, but its use is increasingly frowned on in the garden.

Now leading gardening experts are backing moves towards gardening without peat because of environmental concerns, according to a survey conducted by the RSPB.

Environmentalists believe that using peat in gardens in the UK, much of which comes from Ireland and the Baltic and not the Highlands and Islands, leads to carbon dioxide emissions and damages natural habitats.

Now the RSPB wants the Government to impose a tax of £1 on an average-sized bag of peat. Twenty-seven influential gardeners, broadcasters and writers took part in the poll on using peat in gardens.

The RSPB says four-fifths used little or no peat in their garden and two-thirds agreed with the Government’s aim of phasing out peat products.

A majority also thought that consumers did not know enough about the environmental impact of peat extraction to make an informed decision.

Alys Fowler, a presenter on BBC Gardeners’ World and the Edible Garden, said: “I think there needs to be more education about the benefits of the non-peat compost – it can be just as effective as peat.

“As well as reducing carbon emissions and protecting peat-bog habitats, peat-free compost is also a great way of recycling our waste.”

She said the RSPB’s call for a tax on peat products would make “a real difference”.

Broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh said he only used some peat compost for seedlings that would otherwise fail to thrive.

Jim McColl of BBC Scotland’s Beechgrove Garden was of a similar opinion. In his blog earlier this year, he said: “Truth to tell, for seed sowing, cuttings and young plants, I will still recommend a peat-based growing medium and that view is endorsed by the recent Gardening Which report.”

But he added: “Since day one I have advised that using peat for soil amelioration is a grave misuse of a valuable material. Positive results of this action are likely to be transient and therefore it is to be deplored.”

The RSPB said a number of those who responded to its poll were concerned that the lack of decent, widely available peat-free alternatives was a problem for gardeners keen to make the switch away from the material.

Olly Watts of the RSPB said many gardeners understood the environmental implications of using peat. “They are reducing the amount of peat-based compost they use, or switching entirely to an alternative,” he said.

But he added the Government needed to introduce a non-voluntary approach to phasing out peat products such as a levy.

He said this would create financial incentives for consumers to switch and for industry to step up the challenge to develop high-quality alternatives to peat-based compost.

Leading garden centre chain Dobbies, which has 29 branches across the UK including 15 in Scotland, said they were already tackling the peat issue.

Speaking at the company’s Lasswade HQ outside Edinburgh Phil Douty, Dobbies sales and marketing director, said almost 50% of all Dobbies’ general-purpose composts in all stores were peat-free.

“We are on track to meet the Government’s targets and we significantly exceeded our internal targets for the last financial year,” he said 

“We encourage consumers to purchase peat-free at point of sale, and introduced a Dobbies’ own-brand of organic and 100% peat-free multi-purpose compost.”

He said the company also tried to educate customers about the problems of peat.

“On all of our compost signage at point-of-sale we state the following: ‘Using peat-free or peat reduced products can reduce your carbon footprint … Check the peat content before you buy.’”