Future-proofing you garden

Creating a Resilient Garden for Wet Winters and Dry Summers

After what felt like a long, long, wet winter, we’re now set for some increasingly long hot and dry spells over the summer. And this is nothing new, give or take, we’re experiencing this 'boom or bust' weather most years now.

That can be a real challenge when you are trying to keep a beautiful and interesting garden, not to mention one that is low effort, (after-all, would you rather be watering, or sitting with you feet up and a drink?).

Many plants that love the wet, struggle in the dry, and vice-versa, with dry loving plants rotting away in winter puddles.

However, all is not lost, it’s a great opportunity to adapt your garden to be more resilient – practically by taking measures such as capturing and storing rainwater (waterbutts and swales), and using mulches to help your soil and plants retain water  – but also by choosing from an increasing selection of plants that we know can survive all conditions.

We’re talking about extra-resilient plants that often have deep root systems, tough foliage, and a high tolerance for environmental stress.

Once you start looking, you will naturally spot these (and there are some great resources on the RHS and other horticultural sites), but to get you started, here are a few plants, that I have selected from my own experience (and I know are easily available).

·      Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – tough and pretty in pink, with daisy-like blooms that attract pollinators.

·      Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) – Tall stems of long-blooming golden flowers and highly tolerant.

·      Bee Balm / Bergamot (Monarda didyma, also Monarda citriodora) – Vibrant purple and red flowers loved by bees.

·      Lambs ears (Stachys byzantina) – ground-cover with silvery-green leaves you just have to touch, and spikes of small lilac flowers; a dry plant that handles wet winters surprisingly well.

·      Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican fleabane) – mat-forming with masses of white and pink daisy-like flowers, grows just about anywhere - however, does like to seed and spread - which can be handy if you struggling to grow much else, if unloved areas such front gardens and paths.

·      Geranium Rozanne – mounds of purple-blue flowers, loved by bees.

·      Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) – with varieties flowering in a range of shades from yellows, through oranges to wine red and pink – there is one for everyone.

·      Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) – Rounded clumps of airy foliage, with mases of yellow, orange or red flowers.

·      Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) – Ornamental grass that creates a lovely hazy effect in groups.

·      Feather grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) -  lovely green foliage topped with stunning feathery plumes, which will stay standing all winter.

·      Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) – Highly adaptable and attractive shrub, usually with deep red foliage and pom-pom blooms.

Tips for keeping your garden going this summer: Water deeply but infrequently during dry spells to encourage deep root growth i.e., a good soak once or twice a week.     If your soil has become compacted over the winter, meaning water runs off rather than soaking in, open the top of the soil up with a fork, and, if you haven’t already, add that mulch.

With thoughtful plant selection and design improvements, your garden can not only survive but thrive in our boom or bust climate. Resilient gardens are not only beautiful and diverse, but they also require less maintenance and fewer resources — I’d say that’s  a win for both you and the environment.

I hope you have found this useful. If you’re thinking about how you can make your garden more adaptable and resilient in the face of our changing climate, and would like some professional help with design and/ or planting changes, do get in touch: info@vickylincolngardendesign.com

If you just need pointing in the right direction, why not book a one-off garden design consultation.

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www.vickylincolngardendesign.com

Bee enjoying Libertia chilensis blooms, another resilient favourite