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“If you are planting long-lived plants like trees then you might want
to choose a species that can cope with hotter, drier, summers and
warmer, wetter, winters,” said Vicky Pope, the Met Office’s head of
climate change. The decision to take the message to gardeners
reflects concern among researchers that the public has still not
understood the threat of climate change.”
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Times Online
From The Sunday Times
May 4, 2008
Park the mower: climate change to kill off lawns
Jonathan Leake, Environment Editor
THE Met Office is to warn gardeners to plan for a
warmer climate by cultivating drought-tolerant
plants such as palms, olives and Mediterranean
herbs and to resign themselves to the death of
the traditional lawn.
It believes this year will be one of the hottest on record.
The Met Office will issue the warning at the
Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Hampton Court
Palace flower show this July.
“If you are planting long-lived plants like trees
then you might want to choose a species that can
cope with hotter, drier, summers and warmer,
wetter, winters,” said Vicky Pope, the Met
Office’s head of climate change. The decision to
take the message to gardeners reflects concern
among researchers that the public has still not
understood the threat of climate change.
Pope said the 2003 heatwave, which was blamed for
35,000 deaths across Europe, could be regarded as
cool by 2060. Such warnings are backed by a
survey from the Waste and Resources Action
Programme, in which 56% of gardeners reported a
longer season for grass cutting.
Charlie Dimmock, the television gardener, said:
“The best way to protect gardens from climate
change is to use heat-tolerant plants and ensure
they have good soil.”
The Met Office is sticking to its warnings
despite research last week arguing there could be
a lull in climate warming until at least 2015.
Guy Barter, who oversees the RHS’s advisory
service, said lawns would become untenable in
parts of southern England.
“The best place in Britain for gardening is going
to be the Lake District or the west coast of
Scotland,” he added.
© Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
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