My Climate Change Garden

The Met Office have published the following key facts about climate change and gardening . These support everything that I talk about on this blog and at http://www.globalgardening.org

Faster: UK gardeners cut their lawns almost two weeks earlier than they did in 2001.

Slower: The yield of fruit trees is reduced when the buds fail to break in mild UK winters.

Wetter: January rainfall could increase by 25% in central and southern England by 2080.

Drier: July rainfall could decrease by 45% in South West England by 2080.

Earlier: Spring has advanced by 2-6 days per decade in the UK.

Later: Autumn has been delayed by two days per decade in the UK.

If you want to know more, check the Met Office web-site for the impact of climate change on gardens in your region:http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/hadleycentre/gardening/impacts.html

This information links to the theme of the Met Office exhibit at Hampton Court . Working with the RHS, they have created an impressive Climate Change Dome to explain the facts and myths about weather and climate change, and, how climate change is affecting our gardens and the world at large.

It sounds fascinating as each are day there are talks on climate change-related topics and the chance to discuss the effect of the weather on our gardens. You can even have a go at presenting a weather forecast in an on-site TV studio http://www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt/2008/climate-dome.asp

Climate change scientists will be giving daily seminars on climate science and the impacts of climate change.There will also be simulations of climate in the future and a climate change quiz.For the children, RHS Wisley have a special ‘bug zoo’ showing some of the bugs and wildlife which may be threatened by, or even thrive under, a changing climate.