Dry Garden - Adapting to climate change
Cambridge is one of the driest places in the UK. Climate change will bring drier and hotter summers, so it’s never been more important to conserve water in the garden. Plants growing here in the Dry Garden don’t receive any artificial watering, and this garden hopes to inspire you with water-wise planting ideas.
Plants in this garden have been selected to demonstrate the clever adaptations that enable plants to thrive in dry climates such as using: small narrow leaves with less surface area for water to evaporate from (Artemisia arborescens), hairs to trap moisture and reflect heat (Stachys byzantina), leaves with a waxy coating to waterproof the leaf surface (Euphorbia myrsinites), or thick fleshy leaves to store water (Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’).
The Dry Garden can be considered ‘low maintenance’ gardening and this is due to the water-wise plant selection and soil preparation.