You don’t have to be a meteorologist to know that our climate’s changing. Flowers are blossoming earlier, the leaves are falling later and gone are the days when the year fell neatly into four distinct seasons - now we’re just as likely to enjoy a hot balmy day in September, as we are to miss out on the traditional April showers.
Whilst the long-term global implications of global warming are the subject of much debate, down at grass root level UK gardeners are dealing with the fall-out first hand on a daily basis. Most of us are acutely aware that the traditional gardens we know and love could become unsustainable in coming years if we don’t adapt either our gardening practises... or our actual gardens.
Unfortunately, as a nation we’re increasingly resorting to the latter option, swapping herbaceous borders for Mediterranean-style planting schemes and ripping up lawns only to lay down gravel. Whilst this may seem like the best way forward, the bigger picture is not so rosy - literally - and if we persist with this approach we will be well on our way to eroding our nation’s rich heritage. It will be goodbye pansy, hello palms!
The better answer then is to adapt the way we go about gardening, and learn how to best preserve those quintessential elements of traditional Britain that mean so much. Even if hosepipe bans and drought-orders don’t hit again this year, it’s down to us to learn how to use water wisely and work within the confines of the changing climate. Only by doing so can we hope to cling on to our much-coveted cultural identity... and help save the Great British Garden!