The rain finally arrived in the SE of England last night after almost a month of drought. As I sit writing this blog there is a sheet of very heavy rain refreshing all my plants and no doubt bringing sighs of relief from gardeners everywhere.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/7884027/Heatwave-at-an-end-as-rain-arrives.html
Heavy rain is great for filling water butts – up to 4inches is predicted in some areas this week. According to the Low Carbon Diet, installing a rainwater butt can save 0.6kg of CO2 per year – equivalent to a three mile drive in your car and up to £200 off your water bills.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jan/21/observermagazine.ethicalliving
The UK currently uses 70% more water than we did 40 years ago and this is rising all the time. In the recent hot weather up to 70% of domestic water may have been used in the garden.
Spain may be the holders of the World Cup but they are not doing so well with their rainfall. Barcelona sometimes has to ship water into the city using huge tankers when their reservoirs are only quarter full.
Gardens in Barcelona are being planted with artificial turf to beat the city’s water crisis. Its a drastic way to beat the drought but maybe UK gardens will have to consider replacing our precious lawns. http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=82397
Water usage is crucial in Southern Europe due to exceptionally high temperatures and low rainfall in the past ten years.This is an issue that many more countries in Europe might have to deal with in the not too distant future.
It is possible to have a lawn in our changing climate if you follow a few simple rules: http://www.globalgardening.org/uploads/pdf/lawn_care.pdf
July 16th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I have to admit I love the rain. It always seems to bring much needed life and freshness to gardens which have become dry.
June 6th, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Here’s the thing… I don’t have mains water, I only have a well and I live in the heart of mainland rural Spain. Not only has it been the driest winter in seventy years but one of the coldest too.
Palm trees that have thrived for decades and tower above the houses they were planted next to are brown “seco” dead.
My neighbours who have never been out of our valley, can neither read nor write but who are total oracles of what will grow, how and when are not planting potatoes or tomatoes this year – the Andalucian staples – because they know there will not be enough water.
We don’t have hosepipe bans here in rural Spain. Water is life. The majority of the residents are only too aware of the need to conserve water – and we do! Not a drop goes to waste. All “agua” is recycled.
If you have a hosepipe ban in the UK it is an inconvenience. If my well runs out, I cannot flush the loo, I cannot shower my “huerta” vegetable plot that supplies me for the whole year will wither and die.
The euro may be in dire straights, the jobless figures are around 50% but it means nothing without water.
Temperatures are already off the scale here (early June) in full sun and mid thirties in the shade – it might not rain until November…
I don’t live in the middle of the sahara, I live a two hour plane flight from the UK and only 1 hour inland from the Costa Tropical.
Climate change is happening guys! And it’s on your doorstep 😉