Historic sites including Kew Wakehurst, High Beeches, and Nymans suffered immense botanical stress during unprecedented hot and dry periods, resulting in the loss of trees and rhododendrons. Horticultural leaders warn that consecutive drought years could severely harm larger, established specimens across the region. To counter these vulnerabilities, teams are diversifying their collections with plant varieties sourced from North America, southeastern Europe, central Asia, South Korea, and Japan. Gardeners acknowledge that finding the right balance will take time, as unpredictable conditions will inevitably cause some experimental plantings to fail.
Key points
Gardeners must diversify regional plant collections to build long-term resilience against…: Gardeners must diversify regional plant collections to build long-term resilience against extreme climate shifts.
Shifting to heat-tolerant species will occur gradually over time rather than through an i…: Shifting to heat-tolerant species will occur gradually over time rather than through an immediate overhaul.
Horticulturalists anticipate that unpredictable future weather patterns will cause some e…: Horticulturalists anticipate that unpredictable future weather patterns will cause some experimental plant varieties to fail.
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Gardeners in one of the most drought-hit parts of the UK have said they are adapting their planting strategies amid increasingly extreme weather.
West Sussex - like most of the country - experienced an unprecedented summer marked by record-breaking heatwaves and severe drought.
The conditions have put immense stress on many traditional plant species, with some seriously struggling or dying completely.
Iain Parkinson, head of landscape and horticulture at Kew Wakehurst near Ardingly, said he had seen a "big change" in climate over the some 40 years he has worked there.
"We've had trees die," he added.
Meanwhile, senior gardener at High Beeches near Haywards Heath, Elliot Chandler, said some rhododendrons had died off this year.
"That's probably going to continue," he said.
"We'll do what we can for the plants...but if they're not surviving, then we need to plant different things.
"That's the only way we can really maintain the garden and keep it full of interest and flowers."
Joe Whelan, head gardener at Nymans in Handcross, warned another year of drought could be "quite detrimental" on…
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