Rhubarb leaves are fine in the compost we bung ours in every year... I wouldn't put seeds of perennial weeds in as our compost does not get hot enough to kill them off, neither would I put in potato and tomato foliage that has been blighted. Any particularly woody growth, such as Brussels sprout stalks needs to be given a good thumping before going in the compost or it will take forever to breakdown. Too many grass clippings aren't good either, balance is everything as always.

It maybe that your old gardener knew that rhubarb leaves were poisonous and so assumed they shouldn't be composted - but that's only if you eat them, there's no problem at all with composting them.

Everything (that is garden waste) goes onto my heaps except couch grass and diseased foliage and I have had not trouble.

I heard you can use rhubarb leaves as slug deterant,like comfrey put it in bucket of water and stir for a few week..it suppose smell awful lolo

Thank you all for your replies to my composting question, I have put everything through the shredder (even the sweetcorn straw) and its all gone into the composter.

Billy Fish...