Plants for the future

Pick up any newspaper today and you're sure to find at least one article relating to climate change. Our climate is definitely changing and now is the time that we should be trying to minimise the impacts. Just a small change in the average annual temperature will have a large net impact on growing seasons.

In Great Britain many plant varieties will struggle to survive, whilst it will open up the possibility to new varieties to thrive. Plants will be living in a warmer world but will have to cope with winter waterlogging and summer droughts. If we have fewer cold snaps pests will not be killed off leading to more diseases and more weeds!

Climate change could also bring about rapid changes in the character and style of the British Garden.

For the domestic gardener key challenges are likely to include how to manage and maintain soil fertility, how to cope with more pest problems. The smooth green lawn will be even more of a challenge and with extension of the growing seasons comes an extension in maintenance needs. However, it is not just doom and gloom, we have opportunities influding an increased range of plants suitable for growing in the open garden (Cordylines, aloes, sedums, olea (olives), Proteas and Carpobrotus), plus warmer and drier summers and autumns will allow us to enjoy our gardens more and be in them.

Don't ignore climate change, it is happening and you can do things to minimise its impact on you and on others. Start planning your garden of the future too, for further information e-mail marketing@stbridgetnurseries for a short leaflet they have created with scientists on climate change and your garden.