This is part of a much bigger climate change story that I am also keen to promote and encourage action to protect our planet.

Climate change is the biggest threat to human society and it is great to see young people doing something to make a difference all over the world to help local communities. Please pledge your support for just one of these excellent projects:

https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/Crowd/Details/168

Gardening enthusiasts will no doubt be checking out their local gardens to visit for inspiration and ideas. The best place to find out what is open near to your home is the excellent National Gardens Scheme webs-site.http://www.ngs.org.uk/gardens-to-visit.aspx

The Environment Agency has removed drought status in 19 counties in the south-west, Midlands and Yorkshire, meaning hosepipe bans are unlikely in those areas this summer.

Hosepipe bans, imposed by seven water companies, remain in force in London, the south-east and parts of East Anglia. However, Thames Water, the biggest supplier with 8.8 million customers, said further restrictions, for which a formal drought order would be needed, could now be ruled out in 2012.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/11/england-no-longer-drought

What is happening to our weather?

Climate change sceptics might want to take note of these records or have an alternative explanation for this ongoing weird weather?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9213226/Coldest-May-in-100-years-forecasters-predict.html

The Garden Centre Association says sales of plants are currently down 30%, with would-be gardeners forced to stare out of their windows instead of getting their hands muddy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/shortcuts/2012/may/06/bad-weather-green-shoots-growth

Looks like the wet weather will stay for most of this month – where are those darling buds of May?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/09/wet-weather-no-end-in-sight?newsfeed=true.

I did venture to the garden centre to buy  Rain Daisies in the hope they might chase the rain away and bring out the sunshine  - it worked for an hour but back to wind and rain for rest of the week I believe.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Chelsea-Flower-Show/2012

Looks as though climate change and the effects on our plants and gardens is at last going to be given more exposure in 2012.

Forget the extravagant floral displays and wacky design features like this below which really bear no resemblance to most UK domestic gardens.

The 2012  theme is all about science and the environment.

At this month’s Chelsea Flower Show you can discover how to use tiny city gardens to combat climate change or how science is using microbes to tackle world hunger. Good to see that the RHS, our leading gardening charity, finally raising the profile of climate change at its most prestigious show.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/898414-climate-change-takes-centre-stage-at-chelsea-flower-show#ixzz1uIrwCUSk

http://www.myclimatechangegarden.com/blog/mrs-obama-plants-and-writes-on-kitchen-garden

Many of President Obamas green ambitions have sadly been hijacked but it would be wonderful if he could get this gas guzzling country to create a lasting legacy for environmental reform. The planet needs to recover from many years of American ignorance and its governments refusal to acknowledge that climate change is a serious issue or as the American Department of Defence now calls it “an accelerant of instability or conflict”.

Weird how the climate shifts?

http://www.rtcc.org/policy/will-obama-run-a-green-election-campaign/

The poll of more than 1,000 people living in drought-affected areas for Gardeners’ World magazine found 25 per cent had been totally or partially ignoring the ban imposed by seven water companies on April 5.

The recent wet weather appears to have weakened gardeners’ resolve to reduce their water usage, as a pre-ban poll revealed 17 per cent of people planned to break the ban.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9240484/A-quarter-of-gardeners-are-breaking-hosepipe-ban.html

RHS have produced this short video as the final episode of their National Gardening Week  series.

Rebecca Bevan signs off with the art of watering your plants – rather simple advice but hopefully useful once it stops raining and the hose pipe ban finally kicks in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emM8MMK_SSA&feature=share

A reminder of the serious effects that drought can have in the UK – despite the ongoing rain!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9206373/1976-drought-how-Britain-coped.html