Spring has certainly sprung in the northern hemisphere. It’s been a scorching April here in the UK, and very, very dry. We don’t have a hosepipe ban in place yet, but I’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t happen soon.
Climate change is already having quite an effect on our gardens, and it’s early days yet. So, what can we do to help our gardens survive the earlier springs and drier climate?
America’s National Wildlife Federation has some tips in the form of the Gardeners’ Guide to Global Warming. While it has a US-bias, it is nevertheless full of useful suggestions for us Brits.
Here is a summary of the changes that you can make in your garden to help it cope with climate change, while reducing your contribution to global warming:
- Replace outdoor lightbulbs with CFLs and buy solar powered garden products;
- When your petrol powered lawn mower and hedge trimmer give up the ghost, replace with electric or human powered tools;
- Choose native plants to minimise the risk of invasive species taking over;
- Save water by mulching and rainwater harvesting with water butts;
- Compost your kitchen and garden waste;
- Consider planting a “green roof” and plant trees to shelter your home from sun and wind and absorb CO.
For more about how gardeners can make a difference read the full guide. You can download the pdf here.
Photograph courtesy of John Frenzel.
Thanks to Josh Nelson for the tip.
Comments:
[…] Green fingers - What effect is climate change having on our gardens and what can we do about it? […]
Hi
Climate change is affecting our plants in a big way and my new web-site aims to help gardeners all over the world adapt to our changing weather conditions.
Offering simple but effective advice on plant selection, water managment, lawn care and with suggested nurseries that stock plants that will survive in drought.
Leave a reply or comment:
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed