The UK is bracing itself for the hottest weekend of the year as parts of the country yesterday became officially classed as deserts.The Met Office has issued a health warning for East Anglia and the South East, where hot muggy weather is taking hold.
Parched East Anglia and Essex are having such high temperatures and so little water their climate is now similar to that of the Sahara .Temperatures hit 30C (86F) in Norwich yesterday and 28.9C(84F) in central London.The driest place in the country is Higham, Suffolk which had just 8 in of rain this year, half what would normally be expect.
The air is much cooler on the coast and many people are expected to flock to UK sea-side resorts to escape the high temperatures. In Eastbourne the glorious hot weather has produced a spectacular display from the tropical flowers and plants that are planted along the sea-front.
The scene has not always been like this.Ten years ago the parks and gardens department inherited a costly and time consuming planting plan and a high maintenance horticultural regime. Economic restraints and a determination to create a sustainable planting plan led him to seek an alternative. With a team of seven rather than the 20 full time gardeners available 20 years ago, his priority was to source plants that needed less attention but still look good throughout the year.
They kept the hard landscaping but dug up most of the traditional bedding and replaced it with drought resistant plants that simply thrive in the current temperatures of 30c. The mixed planting uses plants such as Echinacea, Agapanthus, Sea Holly and Red Hot Pokers which are beautifully punctuated by the exotic silhouettes of cordylines and palms creating a truly tropical feel.
This planting proves that is is possible to create impact with plants as well as being eco-friendly and ec-onomical – an important factor with the ever increasing pressure on water supplies in sea-side resorts .
Is this the way forward for gardens in the SE England?
Let me know your thoughts at [email protected]?
July 10th, 2010 at 8:33 am
The parks and gardens team do Eastbourne proud! This time of year especially, and the seafront in particular, the town looks colourful and the variety of planting exciting.
All along our beautiful seafront, the carpet gardens, Holywell and the landscaping of King Edwards Parade look fantastic. I pay tribute to and thank the parks and gardens team at Eastbourne Borough Council.