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Gardening without rain!



One of the great challenges faced by gardeners in the UK is ensuring that gardens look their best throughout the year in spite of our somewhat unpredictable weather. Some years ago long term climate change predictions indicated that we would experiencing rising temperatures and hotter summers giving us weather more similar to the Mediterranean climate. However, the experiences of recent years demonstrate that we are potentially more likely to have variable weather, and that we will experience more heavy rainfall events coupled with drier periods.


There are steps that we can all take to try to mitigate the impact of drier periods and ensure that our gardens do not suffer too much:

Lawns

Grass often turns brown very quickly but it does recover as soon as it rains, and with a little re-seeding of any bare patches you will probably forget that it ever looked as bad as it does.

If you are planning to lay new turf this year but have not already done so it is probably better to wait until autumn to do so.

Flower Borders

Careful ground preparation before planting new plants will help provide the best start.

Weeding reduces competition for moisture, digging in lots of well-rotted organic matter (horse manure or compost) will improve the soil structure and adding general organic fertiliser will provide nutrients whist plants get established.

When watering aim to direct the flow to the ground and the root area of the plant rather than using a sprinkler. Watering in the cooler part of the day, once a week and thoroughly will be more beneficial than doing so lightly every day.

Adding a 5cm thick layer of mulch of compost, old wood chips or gravel can help to suppress weeds and retain moisture. It is worth noting that it is better to apply a spring/summer mulch layer when the soil is moist rather than when it is too dry. If your soil could benefit some improvement then it will help to use biodegradable matter such as manure or compost as it gets taken down into the soil by worms over time.

Water Catchment and Storage

If you do not already have water butts connected to your gutter down-pipes, greenhouse, shed roof or garage and you have the space for them then they are valuable additions to the garden. They very quickly fill during rain showers as the average house roof collects 85,000 litres of water per year.

Some water boards and local councils deliver, subsidise or fund water butts and compost bins so it is worth a quick look on their website to see if this applies in your area before shopping for them.

There are more clever systems of rain and grey water storage which can be built in to your garden. So, if you are planning a new garden or building works talk with your designer about incorporating these so that you can optimise your rainwater harvest.

Planning for the future

If our climate does continue to become drier we may need to start reconsidering our plant choices and switch to more drought resistant varieties. However, the challenge at the moment is that we seem to be having periods of both wet followed and dry which leaves us looking for plants which are reliable in both conditions.

One of the easiest ways to find out what may work best for your garden is to look at established gardens in your local area and see what is growing well in those gardens.

Try to make local friends, consider joining a local horticulture society and go along to the village summer fairs. Gardeners love to talk and share their knowledge, experience and plants. Their advice is probably the best that you can get regarding what grows well in your area.




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maria@mariaedwards.co.uk

Churt, Nr. Farnham, Surrey.

Tel: 07958730624

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