Gardening with climate change

WE have a south-facing garden. It’s the sort of thing that gets estate agents extremely excited as they wax lyrical about a property’s “suntrap” garden.

But to be honest, it’s a mixed blessing. It’s lovely to have the back of the house full of light and warmth but in the height of the summer it can be very hot.

Our patio pots have to be moved to the shade at the back of the garden as even Mediterranean plants like rosemary struggle in the heat and the soil dries very quickly. By August, our garden often looks very brown indeed.

With summers becoming hotter and winters wetter, gardeners are going to have to adapt to a different climate to help their gardens thrive.

The Royal Horticultural Society, in conjunction with the University of Reading, has produced an excellent guide called Gardening in a Changing Climate.

They project that there will be an increase in dry spells in the summer and very wet days during the winter, especially in the south.

This sounds remarkably familiar as we sloshed through months of seemingly endless rain last winter and the Met Office has recently confirmed that climate change made storms more frequent and intense.

The RHS says that this will impact gardeners in a number of ways. Warmer springs and autumns will extend the growing season but extreme rainfall events might increase the rate at which nutrients are washed out of the soil. Conversely, more dry spells will require extra watering and warmer conditions will favour the spread of pests and diseases.

It has some particularly useful tips for gardeners, which include installing a water butt to capture rainwater for later use in dry spells, avoiding use of peat and planting a diverse range of pollinator-friendly plants with different flowering times.

I asked Leo Jennings and Tim Martin, head ranger and head gardener respectively at our local National Trust property, Greys Court, whose beautiful gardens are a joy all summer long, what they are doing to adapt to climate change.

Tim explained that promoting soil health is a priority. They mulch the soil to keep moisture in it when it’s wet in preparation for dry spells and to protect the soil from nutrients being washed out.

They minimise use of mains water by using water butts but have also discovered an historic underground system of rainwater capture at Greys Court which they have brought back into use.

Tim recommends that you use an opaque water butt as stored rainwater needs to be kept cool and dark to prevent the growth of algae.

Established trees are more resilient to drought but can still become stressed in prolonged dry periods and be more susceptible to disease. He recommends watering them regularly.

In the estate woodland, Leo and his team are undertaking a number of actions to help mitigate climate change.

They are laying a new hedge to promote habitat for birds/insects and to sequester carbon. Trees felled or fallen on site are shredded and used on pathways rather than burnt, which would release carbon dioxide back into the air.

Coppicing rather than clear-felling areas of woodland preserves the tree canopy and the natural environment of the wood.

Petrol-driven garden tools are being steadily replaced with electric ones as the RHS recommends.

The lovely gardens and estate at Greys Court are well worth a visit and if you are keen on horticulture, Tim is looking for a horticultural apprentice. You can apply online at careers.nationaltrust.org.uk