logo
Chelsea gears up for future of extremes as dry spring affects show preparations

Chelsea gears up for future of extremes as dry spring affects show preparations

Yahoo18-05-2025
Gardens at this year's Chelsea Flower Show are focusing on a drier future as amateur gardeners – and professional show designers – struggle with the dry spring.
The Environment Agency has warned of the risk of drought this summer without sustained rainfall after the driest start to spring in nearly six decades, with millions of households told they may face restrictions on water use in the coming months.
The Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) advisory team says it has seen a 20% increase in inquiries since the beginning of April, compared with the same period last year.
Most questions from anxious gardeners have been around plants either failing to flower or blooms going over, with spring-flowering plants such as lilac and wisteria being affected, the horticultural charity said.
With extremes of drought, heatwaves and floods set to become the norm with climate change, some gardens at the RHS's annual festival of gardening at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, are exploring what that future might look like.
The King's Trust garden has a focus on adapting to climate change and the ability of 'pioneering' plants to thrive in extreme rainfall and drought, to represent the resilience of young people supported by Charles's charity.
All hard surfaces and walling materials are being constructed using methods which do not need cement, creating permeable surfaces that can reduce flash flooding in intense rainfall events.
And many of the plants chosen are renowned for resilience and their ability to adapt, such as growing and seeding in a single season or regenerating after fire.
The Killik & Co Save For A Rainy Day garden was first inspired by considering which 'future trees' may be able to cope with more extreme drought, heat and floods in southern England in the face of climate change.
Designer Baz Grainger told the PA news agency: 'I came up with setting the garden 25 years ahead, how do southern English gardens evolve over the next 25 years, experiencing more flood and drought, and more unpredictability in the weather.'
The garden includes a 'flood zone' to channel the water into when it floods in heavy rain, along with permeable paths and water collection tanks, while the planting takes inspiration from southern France and northern Spain and trees have been chosen that are resilient to drought, flood and rising temperatures.
Elsewhere at the show the Garden of the Future is set in the near future, drawing on conditions and practices of farmers and growers in the global south.
It features drought-tolerant crops such as sweet potato and millet which can now be grown in the UK due to the changing climate and water-saving measures such as a green roof that collects water.
The Hospitalfield Arts garden designed by Nigel Dunnett is planted in sand, helping it cope with the current dry weather, while its dune landscape creates lower areas where rain can be collected when it does fall.
But the dry, sunny conditions have put some gardens under pressure as the builds progressed and meant changing some of the plants designers were expecting to use.
Horticulturist and TV presenter Monty Don, who has teamed up with the RHS to bring a 'dog garden' to the show, said the dry weather had been a 'double-edged sword'.
He said: 'It's meant the build has been infinitely easier and more pleasant, however it's meant quite a lot of the plants have gone over, and it's meant some plants that wouldn't be ready are.
'And it's meant we've had to water up to three times a day – and that's wasted time.
'The thing about watering is not that it's unpleasant, but it's another hour you're not planting.'
For Zoe Claymore, who is creating a temperate rainforest garden for the Wildlife Trusts to highlight a rare habitat that now covers less than 1% of Britain, the dry build-up has been a struggle for her moisture-loving ferns, mosses and woodland plants.
'We've had two people with 'ghostbuster backpacks' every day misting,' she said.
Julia Mitchell, of Green Jjam Nurseries, said the weather had made preparations for their display more difficult than usual, with plants either flowering earlier than usual or slowing down in growth.
She said: 'We are trying to move plants into shadier areas of the nursery and water more to keep them looking good and ready for RHS Chelsea.
'Our astrantia and achillea have both slowed right down but happily the lupins, which we didn't think would be ready in time, are now starting to flower.'
The RHS is advising amateur gardeners that established plants will 'for now' draw on soil moisture but new plants will need some watering.
The charity's Guy Barter said: 'Ideally use water from storage tanks and butts or waste water from the kitchen.'
He added: 'Careful weeding and mulching will conserve the soil moisture left over from winter rains.
'Mowing lawns slightly higher will help the sward grow strong roots to search out moisture and shade the soil surface.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scottish Government holds emergency meeting over Storm Floris disruption
Scottish Government holds emergency meeting over Storm Floris disruption

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Scottish Government holds emergency meeting over Storm Floris disruption

The Scottish Government has held an emergency meeting in response to the 'significant disruption' caused by Storm Floris across the country, including 119 rail incidents. On Monday night, the Scottish Government's Resilience Room held the meeting to help decide an appropriate response to the storm, which has led to power outages, delays in exam results being delivered to pupils and travel disruption, amid other issues. During the meeting, ministers heard that utilities companies are working to reconnect properties experiencing power outages. The meeting was attended by justice and home affairs secretary Angela Constance, transport secretary Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for health and social care Neil Gray and climate action and energy secretary Gillian Martin. They were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and further resilience partners. The Transport Scotland Resilience Room and the Multi-Agency Response Team remain activated to monitor and report on conditions throughout the duration of the storm. Trunk road companies are continuing to remove fallen trees and debris from damaged infrastructure from roads, and have engaged specialist resources to assist. The Scottish Government said there have been 119 incidents on the rail network caused by Storm Floris, including 75 tree-related incidents. Of those, 85% were due to third party trees. With winds of up to 90mph in some parts of the country, a significant clear-up job will be required to inspect lines and carry out repair work before it is safe to restore a full service. ScotRail is urging customers to check their journey via the app, website or JourneyCheck before they travel. The train operator will also provide updates across social media channels throughout the night. Following the meeting, Ms Constance said: 'As expected, there has been significant disruption, particularly across the travel networks. 'We are still in an amber warning, and the advice remains to stay well informed, keep yourselves and others safe and avoid travel if you can, until the danger has passed. 'Power cuts are affecting a significant number of properties, and while utilities companies are working hard to reconnect supply in the face of challenging conditions, this will undoubtedly take some time to complete. 'The weather is expected to improve tomorrow, but the recovery period – both to reconnect homes to power and get transport back to normal – will require some time to clear the debris. 'We will continue to receive updates throughout Tuesday and will have a better idea on public transport tomorrow morning.' On X, Network Rail said it has 'worked closely with all train operators' to co-ordinate the railway's response to the storm. The railway operator added: 'We've been working around the clock to keep services moving today. 'Our teams will continue inspecting routes for #StormFloris damage overnight, but this will continue into Tuesday morning.' Network Rail previously said it is working 'tirelessly' to clear routes blocked by falling trees and debris, and that disruption was likely to continue into Tuesday. However, some checks will need to be carried out on Tuesday morning. Rail, road and ferry travel were disrupted and festival events cancelled as Storm Floris swept across Scotland, bringing with it heavy rain and strong gusts. Disruption on the railways has left passengers facing multiple cancellations, while a number of roads around the country have been blocked. Western coastal areas are bearing the brunt of the summer storm but strong winds and heavy rain are affecting much of the rest of the country. As of 11.30pm on Monday, a yellow weather warning from the Met Office was in place in Scotland until 8am on Tuesday. Police previously said they had received 'multiple reports' of campervans being blown over on the A87 between Broadford and Portree on Skye, while in Aberdeenshire the A96 is closed in both directions near Old Rayne because of several fallen trees.

When next storm likely to hit UK and what it will be called
When next storm likely to hit UK and what it will be called

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

When next storm likely to hit UK and what it will be called

Parts of the UK have been battered by Storm Floris today which saw trees toppled and disruption caused to flights and rail services. It was the sixth storm to hit the UK in the 2024/25 season but its timing was called "unseasonably disruptive" by the Met Office. That's because storms are more likely to hit in the autumn and winter months as opposed to summer. READ MORE: UK 7-day heatwave 'days away' after Storm Floris batters country Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join The last storm to hit the UK was Storm Éowyn which made landfall back in January. With the autumn season starting on September 1, it's more likely that we'll see storms arrive after then. Since the Met Office began naming storms back in 2015, in partnership with Met Éireann in Ireland, and KNMI in the Netherlands, there have been 77 storms that have taken place - but only eight have occurred in the summer. Professor Suzanne Gray, Professor of Meteorology at the University of Reading, said: "While named storms are more common in the autumn and winter months, named storms do occur in the summer months. "In 2024, we had storm Lilian in August (one of 12 named storms in 2023-24) and in 2023 we had storms Antoni and Betty in August (two of the four named storms in 2022-23). "Of the 77 named storms that have hit the UK since the Met Office first began naming storms in 2015-16, eight have occurred in the summer months of June-August." Each season, the Met Office publishes a list of storm names running in alphabetical order, however it misses out the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z. Next in line on the list is Gerben, following on from Floris. However the Met Office publishes a new list of names each September, to run for the following year. That means if no storm arrives before then, the next storm to arrive could feature a name starting with A. Explaining more information about the alphabet system, a Met Office spokesperson said: "Since Name our Storms first launched in 2015 we have issued a new list of names each September. "The list runs from early September to late August the following year, to coincide with the start of autumn and the end of summer, when we see the likelihood of low-pressure systems and the potential for named storms increase. "The naming of storms using a single authoritative system provides a consistent message and aids the communication of approaching severe weather through media partners and other government agencies. "In this way the public will be better placed to keep themselves, their property and businesses safe."

Pictures after Storm Floris brought down trees and closed roads in East Lancs
Pictures after Storm Floris brought down trees and closed roads in East Lancs

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Pictures after Storm Floris brought down trees and closed roads in East Lancs

Storm Floris hit Lancashire today (August 4) leading to some travel disruption and fallen trees. A yellow weather warning for wind came into force at 6am and remains in force until midnight tonight. The warning covers all parts of Lancashire. Lancashire Fire and Rescue also issued a statement, warning drivers to be careful of high winds and heavy rain. Thankfully, disruption across Lancashire has been relatively minimal so far, apart from some fallen trees around Sabden. Barrowford Road in Padiham closed between the junctions of Whalley Road and Slade Lane due to a fallen electricity pole. Officers said the road will be closed "for a short amount of time" while it cleared. It has since reopened. Simonstone Road, Sabden, also closed from Back Lane and Padiham Road due to fallen trees. At the time of writing, the roads remain closed. Anyone driving in the area has been asked to look for an alternative route. Garden design and landscaping business, Ribble Valley Transform, shared pictures of the fallen trees blocking Simonstone Road. Debbie Louise Hall also shared a picture of a fallen tree blocking the road. A yellow weather warning for wind will be in force across other parts of the UK on Tuesday, but this is not set to impact Lancashire at this time. In Blackburn, the rest of the week is set to remain mild with a mixture of sunshine and cloud forecast. Highs of 20°C and lows of 12°C have been forecast. It is set to remain breezy with wind gusts of 43mph forecast on Tuesday, in Blackburn. A Met Office spokesperson said: 'Breezy with a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers, these gradually easing into the evening with winds turning lighter. Maximum temperature 21 °C. 'Drier and warmer on Wednesday with plenty of sunshine, though hazy at times. Cloudier and breezier again on Thursday and Friday with patchy outbreaks of rain. Temperatures close to average.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store