On the eve of the Chelsea Flower Show it is brilliant to see the RHS using the focus on gardening in the UK this week to point out that gardeners have to think about how they use water to maintain their precious gardens.
They have commissioned a study that highlights the benefits of gardens but warns that water consumption is a growing problem.It states that nearly a tenth of water supplies could be flowing from the nation’s hosepipes and sprinklers by 2021. The RHS’s prediction is based on the growing popularity of gardening, now the nation’s favourite hobby.
It suggests that if climate change sees Britain getting warmer, nearly a third of domestic supplies might go on gardening.
Let’s hope the horticultural industry takes note as well and stops selling millions of bedding plants every summer that drain our water supply.
Here is some advice from the RHS about the current drought:http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/News/Coping-with-dry-weather
Sun, May 22, 2011
Climate Change, Water, Royal Horticultural Society