The UK’s highest ever temperature has been officially recorded in Cambridge, the Met Office has confirmed.https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/29/met-office-confirms-new-uk-record-temperature-of-387c
Cambridge University Botanic Garden measured 38.7c (101.7F) on Thursday 25th July 2019.
This beat the previous record of 38.5c (101.3F) set in Kent in 2003.
The Met Office have also reported that UK’s 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 2002. In addition, these records show that none of the UK’s 10 coldest years have occurred since 1963. With statistics stretching back to 1884, these stats reveal a worrying trend as the planet deals with the climate crisis.https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/31/uks-10-hottest-years-on-record-have-occurred-since-2002-met-office
Extreme weather that is now experienced in the UK means that our gardens have to adapt to a range of new temperatures and weather conditions. For inspirational ideas on how to adapt your garden to a changing climate visit –http://www.myclimatechangegarden.com/blog/plant-collection
Here you will find just a small selection of the many tropical, exotic and mediterranean plants that now thrive in UK gardens as climate change takes hold, bringing intense heat and long periods of drought.
To buy these plants and seek advice please visit one of the following specialist nurseries:
DESIGNING A TROPICAL GARDEN
* To create a sub-tropical feel, use mainly evergreens mixed with some plants that will die back every year but which have bold or variagated leaves that mimic a tropical climate.
* Closer planting of sub-tropical plants will help create a microclimate that allows more tender plants to be under-planted as the larger plants afford some protection.
* Consider which tropical plants can be planted in pots so they can be brought into a frost free environment or be wrapped in fleece for protection over winter
* Wind protection in the form of large evergreen trees or hedges will help form a micro climate for winter protection, but you must remember that these will challenge the tropical plants for nutrients and available water.
PLANTING A TROPICAL GARDEN
* Don’t go rushing to buy huge quantities of drought tolerant plants but start with just a border or maybe even a few plants to see how you get on with growing them and if they survivie in your garden
* Do use the huge amount of useful information available on the web-sites of specialist nuseries listed on this site and always seek their advice before buying
* Choose the sunniest spot in your garden so the plants will have maximum chance of growing to full capacity
* Ensure the pot is moist before you remove the plant
* Dig a deep hole for each plant, fill it with re-cycled water and allow it to drain before planting into the hole to ensure that the roots have moist surroundings
* Once everything is planted and well watered, mulch the border with gravel or bark to approx 75mm deep
* Sub tropical plants enjoy a feed in spring of pelletted chicken manure and regular feeds of general liquid fertiliser during summer.
* Sub tropical plants with large fleshy leaves ie Elephants Ears and banannas need regular watering and sometimes be sprayed with water to keep them healthy and the leaves looking good.
Many of the photos in this blog were taken at a unique Exotic garden in Norwich that was created by an amazing guru of plants called Will Giles who is sadly no longer with us. I had the pleasure of tapping into Will’s incredible plant knowledge and exceptional ideas for tropical gardening through a series of videos which can be found at the bottom of this blog http://www.myclimatechangegarden.com/blog/category/video. Will has left an impressive legacy of information and innovation for gardeners all over the world to embrace our changing climate.
Wed, Jul 31, 2019
Climate Change, Climate Change Gardening, Exotic, Plants, Buy plants, Met Office