Gardening in a changing climate
In a time of climate change, our gardens can help in many ways, from reducing our emissions and storing carbon, to providing safe havens for wildlife. We should carefully consider our plantings to make them resilient to climate change. As one of the driest parts of the UK, Cambridgeshire is well suited to the cultivation of Mediterranean plants, and the predicted increase in summer drought stress as a result of climate change will make it even more so. Mediterranean plants, like lavender and rosemary, are renowned for their blue grey waxy leaves that reduce water loss and reflect light. Santolina chamaecyparissus has hairs that trap moisture and reflect heat. Med plants are represented by a high proportion of evergreen dwarf shrubs, such as Erica and rosemary as well as bulbous plants that escape summer drought like the autumn flowering Sternbergia lutea.
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