{"id":13956,"date":"2022-08-11T15:41:26","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T13:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=89675"},"modified":"2022-08-11T16:05:21","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T14:05:21","slug":"adapting-to-drought-how-we-should-be-gardening","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/adapting-to-drought-how-we-should-be-gardening\/","title":{"rendered":"Adapting to drought: how we should be gardening"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Daisy Bowie-Sell\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 11 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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As high temperatures continue in the UK, we asked three RHS horticulture advisors, Nikky Barker, Julie Henderson and Adrian Thorne, their views on what the drought<\/a> means for gardens in the UK and how gardeners need to be adapting to the changes in climate<\/a> in the short and long term.<\/p>\n

The answers may surprise you: whilst being careful with what you water<\/a> is an important element of their message, it\u2019s just the beginning of what we can be doing to adapt in the long-term to the extremes of temperature<\/a> that we are seeing at the moment.<\/p>\n

If you have a garden in the UK you should be thinking about several things, including how to build a resilient garden, with plants that can withstand heat and drought<\/a>, how to save water<\/a> and how to care for your soil.<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss our piece on dry garden planting combinations<\/a> and read more on water saving in garden design.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Olivier Filippi\u2019s dry garden in France<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 Claire Takacs<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

How bad is this year\u2019s drought?<\/h3>\n

There is a severe drought in the south east. At RHS Bridgewater<\/a> further north, there\u2019s been extensive hot weather<\/a> and much less rainfall than normal. We are seeing greater extremes because of climate change. Hot events were predicted to be very infrequent, but they are happening much more often than expected and for longer and longer.<\/p>\n

Ten to 20 years ago a garden would have had more recovery time, but because the hot weather is longer and more frequent, gardens have to work harder. An exceptionally dry spring meant our rainfall became more concentrated. That\u2019s a problem too, because if rain comes all at once it doesn\u2019t soak into the ground and you get runoff.<\/p>\n

What are the long and short term effects of this sort of weather on the garden and wildlife?<\/h3>\n

A lot of plants<\/a> will have shorter flowering time. The changes in the temperature earlier in the year could mean there\u2019s not the right plants for when the pollinators need them. Insects<\/a> adapt much slower to climate change, so where flowers are coming out earlier, insects<\/a> may be missing out on their food source. And that also has an effect on fruit and veg too \u2013 less fruit<\/a> and vegetables<\/a> for domestic growers.<\/p>\n

Some plants, like hydrangeas, are very susceptible to drought. They need consistently moist soil and are going suffer with the lack of water. Acers<\/a> too, like a sheltered garden spot, but this weather is scorching the leaves. Cherries<\/a> need a period of cold in the winter, but if they aren\u2019t getting that then you will see reduced amounts of fruit.<\/p>\n

We rely on microorganisms in the soil<\/a> to keep it healthy, but when it\u2019s very dry, things like worms go very deep, a metre down, to where it is moist. So they won\u2019t be having the same beneficial effect on the soil<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As the climate changes, there will be a change in disease<\/a> and fungus. They will be able to survive where they hadn\u2019t in the past. There may be some coming from the continent. If you are changing plants, look for something that will be resilient to possible diseases.<\/p>\n

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Adapting to drought in the garden: what gardeners should be doing<\/h2>\n

Lawns<\/strong><\/p>\n