Weather forecasting for the garden

It is not my intention that my blog is used as a long term climate recording tool, but the ongoing variability in our weather is so dramatic that I will continue to comment on it as long as I feel it is impacting on the plants in our gardens.  So for the record, today is dry, sunny, but quite cold at c. 8°C.

Sadly, my Amelanchier (Juneberry) blooms were completely removed by yesterday’s wind, so it will be interesting to see if there will be any fruit on them during the summer.  I wonder what other impacts this spell of weather will have on the rest of my garden plants.

Over the last few years the seasons have not been as defined as they might have been in the past.  Whilst, generally, it is colder from Oct to March, rainfall patterns appear to be highly variable and we can get unusual phases of heat (as experienced recently) and cold out of season.  We have had very dry Aprils recently; the phrase ‘April showers’ seems to have fallen out of use and this spring drought puts plants under stress very early in the growing season.  The hose-pipe ban is coming in to force this weekend in the southeast of England at the same time as parts of that country are under heavy snowfall.  It all seems a little out of kilter.

If the weather is becoming even more unpredictable, then what does this mean for garden plant selection?  It appears to me that in terms of plant growth, this is not just about plants adapting to a drier, or indeed a less seasonal climate, it is also about adaptation to the rapid changeability of the weather.  I won’t go as far as saying, I know what the best plants are for this new environment, but, I am starting to draw up my list…and I am including Amelanchier, at least, for the moment!

 

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