Plant for a SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Future-proof planting can withstand climate change and disease
Gardens don’t stand still, and now, surrounded by a maelstrom of issues regarding Brexit trade deals, climate change and environment, pests and diseases, the reality of what we could or should grow in them has become quite complex. It makes sense to grow plants locally, reducing transport carbon and limiting the spread of diseases such as ash dieback, fuchsia gall and box moth, but there are other factors at play. Some of the new pests and diseases undoubtedly make it more difficult to grow certain plants, and climate change is already having an effect.
Rising temperatures will create an environment in which the flora of continental Europe will thrive, so we may see more olive trees and vineyards. But, if our warm Gulf Stream air currents were to stop, Britain would be a far chillier place.
The best thing we can do is choose plants to encourage and conserve our native wildlife. We can provide food and shelter for vertebrates and insects, encourage healthy soils and rich sources of nectar to help underpin the ecosystem. Ultimately, we can only do our best.
Covid-19 has already shown us the clear skies, fresh air and birdsong of spring 2020, and some elements of life must make a permanent shift towards greater sustainability. Rather than commuting to the office and chatting around the coffee machine, we may have to take our meetings in the garden – over the telephone. Barefooted homeworkers, weeding one-handed in the sunshine while chatting to the boss, doubtless prefer real grass under their feet rather than a sweaty artificial sward. And bee-friendly blooms are far more preferable to miserable heathers dipped in paint.
In the face of apocalyptic thinking, we can all take strength from connecting with nature in our gardens. My hope is that more people allow their gardens to embrace and support them, body and spirit. Both pretty flowers and home-grown crops can underpin our recovery, as can sharing plants and food gluts with neighbours, or leaving surprise bunches of flowers for those who will appreciate the gesture. If we allow them to, our gardens will make us better people, and we can share the love and start healing the world. ✿