Climate change has been underway globally for several decades, with an increasing number of countries experiencing severe problems. These trends are underway here in the UK too, with the 10 hottest years all occurring since 2002, and rainfall patterns clearly changing. We are already seeing the impact of this in our gardens, in the loss of plants, the reduction in biodiversity, and the times when it’s just too hot, dry or wet to garden.
Key changes to our climate:
· Temperatures are increasing throughout the year. Extreme hot weather events (>35oC) are more frequent and last longer, while the number of frost days is decreasing.
· Summer rainfall is more concentrated in a few heavy rainfall events, interspersed with longer dry periods. In some areas, a larger proportion of the year’s rain is falling in winter.
· Extreme weather events, such as storms, prolonged droughts, high temperatures, torrential rain, or late frosts, are more common.
Key impacts of climate change on gardens, plants and garden wildlife:
· The growing season is becoming longer. Plants will flower earlier, while leaf-fall will be later. Some tender plants may now survive overwinter outdoors. However, these changes may disrupt the relationship between wildlife, and the plants with which they are associated.
· Higher temperatures and erratic summer rain, will place more demand on water supplies, resulting in hose-pipe bans. In addition, more ponds, and the headwaters of some rivers, are likely to dry up in summer.
· Shallow-rooted trees, heat-sensitive plants, and those requiring continually moist conditions, may not survive hot and dry periods.
· More winter rain will result in waterlogging and even flooding, damaging some plants and preventing work in the garden.
This Met Office site offers a very readable summary of climate change, what is causing it, and what it means for the UK:
This RHS report provides extensive and detailed information on the impact of climate change on gardens:
Gardening in a Changing Climate