Blog: My winter plans with climate change in mind
Like most of us, I don’t like change, but coping with drought is something we need to do for the long-term good of our gardens and requires new thinking.
For most gardeners, we grow the plants we’ve always done but this year’s lack of rainfall has been a wake-up call. It’s sad, but now’s the time to forget tradition and alter our gardens so they can withstand the onslaught of climate change.
The changes for me are pretty big but they should solve the biggest problems with water usage in my garden, namely the pond and the neighbouring ‘bog’ bed. Sweet peas have been terrible for me this year, prompting me to put together a comprehensive guide to drought-tolerant annuals – read more here. If you must have annuals, Zinnias do well once established in dry conditions. Read my Best Zinnias to Grow from Seed.
They are also futureproofing the garden for me as my joint problems will inevitably worsen as I get older. More raised beds are the order of the day!
Coping with drought – Making a new pond
I inherited the pond, built by the previous owner. I’ve already altered it once to make one sloping side, as it was cast out of concrete with straight sides. Any animal falling in didn’t stand a chance. Also, it’s far too shallow. Even the dwarf water lily’s leaves stand above the surface. This also means it heats and cools to extremes, not good for any wildlife.
It’s also in a terrible place, right next to the hedge, making that really difficult to cut. It also means it gets full of leaves in spring and autumn from the beech. This is also the only flat spot in the garden (which is why it is making way for my tiny summerhouse).
The new pond will be raised, eliminating the problems of kneeling on gravel while cleaning it out. The retaining wall is a work in progress but will be made of all recycled materials. I’m working with Garry McCabe of Gaia Gardeners, as he built my larch raised beds.
Building a new raised bed
The messy area under the whitebeam will finally be getting some TLC. It’s an area in shade in summer, so another recycled material raised bed is going in here. Planting will include the trained holly and pyracantha from next to the pond. They will fill in the parts of the hedge that have suffered dieback. I’ll also add early-season hellebores, bulbs, etc.
The fence dividing the front and back garden here is rotten, so that’s being replaced, moving further into the front garden. This provides a platform to put the compost bins on. The heavy trellis fence will be home to two scented climbing roses and a simple lavender hedge.
Coping with drought – Getting rid of the ‘bog’ bed
When I first built it, it was a bog bed, with a punctured pond liner under it. This seems to have failed, as the Rodgersia and Rheum palmatum who rely on the damp soil are disaster areas. They look good until the end of June and then wither.
Building a summer (or winter) house
I’ve always wanted a little place to call my own in the garden but there has never been room. Once I had embraced the idea of moving the pond, I realised I could have a tiny summerhouse. I bought it in a sale from Elbec Garden Buildings – it’s a 6×4′ Forest Garden model. Now I can happily sit in there, resting, reading or listening to music while looking out up the garden.
That’s the rough plan. We’ve already started cutting back and removing the fence plus collecting stuff to recycle in the rebuilding of the walls. The plan is to spend as little as possible on materials and recycle almost everything creatively. I’ll keep you posted!
Coping with drought – changes to help gardens updated 2023
