Perennials That Flourish in Wet Winters & Dry Summers!
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Rosie Hardy discusses the challenges of choosing the right plants for UK gardens due to changing weather patterns, including wet winters and dry summers. She emphasizes that Mediterranean plants may struggle with the UK's wet winters and suggests considering alternative plant species better suited for these conditions. Rosie highlights plants that thrive in spring, go dormant in summer, and revive in the fall. She advises gardeners to focus on naturalistic designs, prioritize deep-rooted plants, and avoid excessive watering during hot months, stressing the importance of conserving water for shrubs and trees.
Takeaways
- 🌦️ The UK's changing weather patterns with wet winters and dry summers are making it difficult to choose the right plants for gardens.
- 🌿 Mediterranean plants, such as lavender and rosemary, struggle in the UK's wet winters despite being able to handle colder temperatures.
- 🌻 Gardeners should consider using plants that thrive in the spring and early summer, as dry summers may lead to a shift in how gardens are designed.
- 💧 Plants with deep root systems are better suited to cope with hot, dry summers, as they can access moisture lower down in the soil.
- 🌷 Certain spring bulbs like snowdrops, daffodils, and muscari thrive in wet conditions and are ideal for UK gardens.
- 🍂 Summer deciduous plants, which go dormant during the hot summer months, are becoming essential for UK gardens due to their ability to cope with dry conditions.
- 🌼 Perennials that can flower in early spring and then again after being cut back are highly recommended for maintaining garden interest throughout the year.
- 🌸 Native species, especially those adapted to local climates and conditions, should be prioritized for sustainable gardening.
- 🌿 Weeding techniques should be adapted for summer months, as disturbing the soil can lead to moisture loss.
- 🌳 Trees and shrubs may need more attention and water during dry periods, as they face more stress compared to herbaceous plants.
Q & A
Why is it becoming difficult to decide which plants to use in UK gardens?
-The UK is experiencing more unpredictable weather patterns, with extremely wet winters and very dry summers. This makes it harder to select plants that can thrive in both conditions.
What mistake did many gardeners make based on climate predictions from five years ago?
-Many gardeners planted Mediterranean plants like lavender and rosemary, believing the warming climate would favor them. However, they overlooked that these plants cannot tolerate the UK’s wet winters.
Why do Mediterranean plants struggle in the UK, especially during winter?
-Mediterranean plants can handle cold temperatures but are not suited for the UK's wet winters. The excessive rainfall causes them to become waterlogged and suffer.
What solution does Rosie Hardy suggest for maintaining garden interest through hot, dry summers?
-Rosie suggests focusing on creating beautiful spring and early summer gardens, and using architectural plants to maintain visual interest during the hot, dry months.
What are 'summer deciduous' plants, and why are they important for UK gardens?
-Summer deciduous plants go dormant in the summer months, meaning they die back during the dry season. They are useful because they flourish in wet winters and early spring but require less maintenance and water during the dry summers.
Can you give an example of a summer deciduous plant recommended in the video?
-An example is Corydalis elata, a woodland plant that thrives in damp conditions, blooms in spring, and dies back in summer when it becomes dry.
What types of plants are well-suited for the UK's early spring and wet conditions?
-Plants like snowdrops, daffodils, muscari, native bluebells, primroses, and various types of primulas do well in the UK's wet spring conditions.
What are some strategies for maintaining moisture in garden beds during hot summers?
-Rosie suggests mulching in spring when plants are starting to grow to keep moisture in the soil, and stopping weeding with forks and spades during summer to avoid disturbing the soil and releasing moisture.
Why is it recommended to cut back herbaceous perennials in hot summers?
-Cutting back herbaceous perennials allows them to rest during the dry, hot months, preserving their energy for regrowth when the weather cools and rain returns.
What is the importance of species selection in gardening under changing climate conditions?
-Choosing the right species is key because native or well-adapted species can better handle the extremes of wet winters and dry summers. These species are more resilient and require less intervention to thrive.
Outlines
🌱 Challenges of UK Gardening Amid Climate Changes
The video introduces the difficulties of gardening in the UK due to changing weather patterns, with wet winters and dry summers. Rosie Hardy discusses how predictions of a warmer climate led people to plant Mediterranean species like lavender and rosemary. However, the UK's wet winters are unsuitable for these plants. Hardy explains how the UK's maritime climate creates varying conditions across regions, making plant selection critical for gardeners. Mediterranean plants struggle in soggy winters, and the hot, dry summers make it challenging for surface-rooted plants to survive.
🌼 Choosing Plants Adapted to Wet Winters and Dry Summers
This section emphasizes the importance of selecting plants that can thrive in the UK's unique climate, such as summer-deciduous species. These plants, which go dormant in the hot summer months and bloom in spring, are better suited for surviving the UK's extreme weather shifts. Hardy highlights plants like Coralis elata and anemone blanda, which flourish in wet winters and die back when dry. Understanding plant behavior and adapting to the seasons is crucial for maintaining a healthy garden in these challenging conditions.
🌸 Benefits of Summer-Deciduous Plants for UK Gardens
Rosie discusses the advantages of summer-deciduous plants, which grow during the wetter months and go dormant in the heat. She mentions species like GM rivali and Cium cerium rivi that have deep taproots, making them resilient to the UK's summer dryness. These plants can flower beautifully in spring and early summer, then retreat when the weather turns hot and dry. The key to gardening success is understanding the plant's root structure and how they react to varying moisture levels.
🌾 Adapting Gardening Practices for Sustainable Water Use
The focus shifts to practical gardening tips, such as mulching techniques and reducing water waste. Hardy advises against mulching in autumn when the ground is too wet, as this can prevent water from seeping into the soil. Instead, she recommends mulching once the soil is saturated in spring to lock in moisture. Additionally, she suggests refraining from heavy weeding in summer to prevent moisture loss, a method her mother practiced successfully. These practices help retain soil moisture, reducing the need for excessive watering.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mediterranean Plants
💡Wet Winters
💡Dry Summers
💡Summer Deciduous Plants
💡Species Selection
💡Root Structure
💡Self-seeding Plants
💡Mulching
💡Architectural Plants
💡Water Conservation
Highlights
The UK's changing weather patterns with wet winters and dry summers make it difficult to select the right plants for gardens.
Many gardeners initially planted Mediterranean plants like lavender and rosemary, but these struggle with the UK's wet winters.
Mediterranean plants can handle cold, but not the high rainfall of the UK, leading to the need for better plant choices.
The UK’s unique maritime climate causes significant differences in weather conditions across the country, complicating plant selection.
Gardeners should consider plants that thrive in early spring and are more resilient to dry summers and wet winters.
Spring plants like snowdrops, daffodils, muscari, and native bluebells are well-suited for wet conditions.
Summer deciduous plants, such as herbaceous perennials, can handle the changing climate by going dormant during dry periods.
Plants like Coralis elata and Anemone blanders thrive in damp winter soil and can adapt to dry summer conditions.
Species with deep root systems, such as GM rivali and Cephalaria gigantea, perform well under both wet and dry conditions.
Plants like Cerium rivali, Astrantia, and Seiler Alpina can flower, rest during dry periods, and return to bloom when wet conditions return.
Mulching should be done carefully to avoid trapping moisture during wet months and should be applied in spring to preserve moisture.
Avoid disturbing soil by weeding with forks or spades during dry summer months to prevent moisture loss.
Late-season flowering plants like Baptisia, sedums, and Verbascum can add architectural interest and thrive in dry conditions.
Alpine species and self-seeding plants like Arider and Verbena Bonariensis are resilient and well-suited for the UK’s shifting climate.
Focus on watering shrubs and trees during hot, dry summers, as herbaceous plants can often recover on their own with rain.
Transcripts
with the varying weather that we've got
here in the UK it's becoming quite
difficult to decide what is the right
plant right place especially as we are
getting really wet Winters and really
dry Summers so that is what I'm am going
to be discussing in this video today
hello I'm Rosie Hardy this is Rosie
Hardy gardening now it can be quite a
daunting task to realize that some of
the plant material you have got in your
Gardens now are not fit for purpose by
that I mean you will be finding because
everybody said you know about five years
ago oh we're going to get much warmer
the warming climate therefore we're
going to have to start planting
Mediterranean plants and so a lot of
people did they started putting in Gray
leafed material they started putting in
a lot of lavenders and rosemaries and
all of these things that you'd expect to
see in the Mediterranean
forgetting though that we have extremely
wet Winters now Mediterranean plants
will manage cold so they're quite happy
for it to go down to -1 -5 maybe even
lower than that but the majority of the
Mediterranean countries that people have
been thinking about like Greece or
turkey or or any of those types of
places those areas do not have the
rainfall that we have here on the island
of Great Britain the
UK is a maritime Island it has its own
natural weather patterns which are
ridiculously different in different
parts of the
country you can have it being really
bright and sunny up in Scotland and
soaking wet and cold down in England and
conversely it can be the other way
around and our patterns seem to have
changed and when we are getting the rain
has changed so we are getting very wet
from November December January February
March even into the April
Showers what plants like that well
definitely not those grayleaf plants
because they find that far too wet and
Soggy for them so we're going to have to
think about different things and then
over the last two or three years we've
sly been getting these really really hot
dry Summers July and August have become
so hot and dry it's making the area
parched and even plant material That's
Got lowlevel Roots so I'm not talking
about plant material that's got its
roots right the way down but plant
material that has just got it on the
surface are finding it really difficult
to survive through those conditions and
it's almost getting to the point where
we may have to be thinking about having
beautiful spring into early summer
Gardens and then thinking about using
things that are architectural to give us
that bit of interest and everything else
through the summer and then once we get
the rain again usually about September
time into October and November we get a
long extended lot of flowering we need
to really consider what we are putting
into the gardens when we are looking at
our springtime so not only are we
looking at the wonderful bulbs there are
loads of bulbs that you can put in and
they will all look fantastic and they
will all do really well snow drops love
it quite wet the daffodils are quite
happy you know there are other things
the muscari the uh Native blue bells do
well and then what else have you got
that you can encourage to grow well
there are things like the uh primroses
and different types of primulas that you
can grow there are the summer deciduous
plants and those I think are going to be
key for a lot of people's Gardens so by
summer deciduous I mean they go dormant
in the summer months so they are habous
perennials they are just creating their
herbaceousness at a different time that
sounds really weird most people think of
a habous border coming up into Leaf May
June flowering its Hearts off through
June July August September and then
through the winter they've died back
down again you may see a little bit of
foliage there and that's fine those are
the plants that I think are going to
suffer more through the summer periods
we have the converse lot of plants which
the ones which are summer deciduous so
they're herbaceous but they are growing
through the winter months flowering in
the spring to early well late spring
maybe early summer just and then they
die back down just as the heat comes in
just as the rain stops and those are the
things that I think a lot of people are
going to have to learn to put more of in
their garden and learn not to dig them
up in the summer months so what am I
talking about I am talking about things
like Coralis for instance so Coralis
elata is brilliant its foliage has been
making a mat for right the way through
from December January February March
we're into April now it's going to start
flowering it will flower April May maybe
into June then it dies back down again
this is a woodlander it loves damp soil
so it's really happy in The Damp
conditions and then as it's coming into
flour it's quite happy for it to be
sunny and then it doesn't need much more
rain on it or water until it dies back
down again and then it is perfectly fine
you have a lot of things like the an
enemy blanders like this again they love
it because they are corns so therefore
they absorb all of the water through the
winter they come up into Leaf now they
flower their hearts off die back down as
the ground gets dry so the corns dry up
they're happy that's what they want to
do so it is understanding how these
plants work and what you need to do so
those are the ones which are summer uous
and they're going to die back down and
be perfectly happy you've got your other
forms and probably one of the things
that I'm trying to say here is that
we've got to look at species and
especially wherever you are in whichever
country you are you need to look at the
species that are best for your ground
for your area I can't give you a blanket
um full name and list of what there is
because if you're in the southern parts
of United States it's completely
different I'm talking generally here
about what I'm seeing Happening Here in
the UK and that is what I'm trying to
say you need to look at what is growing
well what is coping with the different
types of weather that you are getting
and then find varieties within that look
at the species first species are really
really good at coping with all sorts of
things so GM rivali that is our native
GM you can always tell it because it has
the drop head flowers on it like this
this one happens to be a named form this
is tals of hex has much bigger beautiful
flowers really strong grower loves the
water and wet in the spring grows really
well and then as soon as it gets hot
it'll put up lovely decorative seed
heads and then it will just go a little
bit dormant if it gets wet again it will
come back and give you a second
flowering so that is a really useful one
also
cium cerium rivi of the river so these
are things which have got long roots
their tap Roots get down that's another
thing to think about what is the root
structure like of the plants that you're
putting in this is just putting on its
beautiful thistle head and it's going to
be really tall but this loves the damp
weather through the winter months and
then coming up and then it will do
perfectly well until it gets to about
June July and then it may find it a
little bit dry it will die back down you
can give it a cut back once it gets wet
again it will then grow back up again so
this is something else to look and think
about what plant material will do really
well until it gets warm you can give it
a haircut it can sit there and be just
keeping ticking along through the hotter
months and then as soon as it gets rain
again it's back up into flour this is
the consideration that we've really got
to think about with all of this material
if you live in the UK and any of these
plants are of interest to you then
please do have a look at my online plant
shop our search feature makes it easy to
find the exact plant for any tricky
garden spot you wish to fill click the
link in the description or search for
Hardies plants. co.uk now back to the
video there are lots of perennials that
will grow really well in the early
spring flower really nicely give them a
haircut and they flower again so those
are the sorts of plants that you need to
be thinking about using I've mentioned
the cerium will do that a straner or
another one they are great and again
they like it quite moist if it gets dry
in the summer they tend to have a little
rest and then again once it gets warmer
later on they will come back up so you
have to think about these plants that
you are considering and putting in as I
said species are good and of the species
that I've got here I've already
mentioned one or two there there are
some later flowering species such as
sephilia
Alpina and Suiza pretenses which are
both quite happy now SE sephilia Alpina
this brings me on to another lot of
plant material that will cope the Alpine
plants will cope really well just choose
them carefully though not all alpines
are this height this one Seiler alpineer
gets up to probably 5T 1 M 20 1 M50 with
its flour but because it has less
foliage at the bottom it doesn't require
as much summer moisture it also puts its
roots down quite a long way it comes
from a moister area in the Alpine
regions which then dry out and then get
wet l on so they are used to the
extremes and the Heat and everything
else so consider where the plants come
from what their natural growth habit is
that will help you consider and I am
thinking that a lot of stuff which has
got much deeper route is going to be
better because there will be moisture
lower down so they will be able to keep
on going but I do think we've got to
think about this fact and plant for July
and August and think do you know what
we're not going to have as much flower
then if we try and push these plants we
keep on trying to water them that is not
going to do them any good and we do here
at Hardies suggest to people once you
get to a really hot summer give your
habous perennials a chance by giving
them a cut back and letting them have a
rest because that is what they would
they need they just need that rest don't
keep on trying to water them it's a
waste of water just give them a haircut
allow allow them to just die back and
then once we get natural rain again they
will Sprout back up and give you a
wonderful color which means we're going
to have fabulous late August September
Octobers maybe into November beautiful
plant material something like this the
Suiza pretenses native to the UK it is
fabulous it loves a damp area flowers
its heart off and it will have a double
flowering as well the species are tough
they are able to cope with the
conditions so once you found the species
that are doing really well in your
neighborhood or speak to Garden clubs
you know that's a very good source of
getting local information find your
local gardening club these gardening
clubs will not keep going unless you go
out there and actively go there help
them you know they will tell you what
they are having success with it's
brilliant go and look at open Gardens
see what they're having success with
talk to people don't just wander around
and go I like that plant speak to the
gardener who's looking after it and say
why is that successful what have you
been doing to make it look so good at
this time of the year and you may find
that they've Chang their regimes from
what they used to do and this is another
thing that I would like to talk about
because it is getting so wet in November
December January February March if you
have got gone and mulched in October
you've almost put a layer where the
water cannot get through so please think
about mulching at a different time or
just putting a little bit of winter
Mulch on because the idea behind putting
mulch on earlier in the year or over the
winter months is that it gets a time for
the worms to work on it and and that
sort of thing but I am considering now
thinking of telling people really wait
until the soil is saturated now stuff is
starting to grow up you can see where
the plants are and mulch at this time of
the year to keep all that moisture into
the beds but do not while the plant
materials coming up cover that plant
material and then mulch around that will
be much much better and your borders
will stay much moister for a lot longer
right the way through and the other
thing to do is do not do weeding with
forks and Spades through the summer
months every time you cut into the top
soil and you open up a crack you let out
a lot of moisture so weeding I'm going
to say to you weed right the way through
the spring once you get to about may
stop pulling out weeds and stop digging
up weeds if you see them cut them down
do not disturb the soil do not break
that surface of the soil because that is
keeping the moisture into your beds
that's just a little thing my mother
used to do that in Yorkshire she's been
she hadd been doing that for the last 10
15 years she had very very light sandy
soil and she knew perfectly well if she
went and dug or tried to pull out big
weeds she would get a really dry patch
where she had done that so instead she
just used to cut it off off the top not
breaking the soil and that that way you
you know your plants survive far far
better all right so the last couple of
things that I wanted to talk about are
things that are going to flower slightly
later or things that are going to be
taller baptisia are great again they
love a damper area come up look great
you can leave the seed heads there this
is one of those plants which will flower
and look fantastic in June then in July
it's starting to go over leave it there
as the architecture natur piece because
the seed heads look fantastic seed heads
of this with grasses this is what you're
going to have to be thinking about
because they're Bluey black and against
the grasses they look fantastic and the
grasses will be up and doing their thing
and they are loving the conditions that
are there flowers which come out later
things like hyot tum sedums they will
love it because they're great they're
growing away now they're coming on they
love dry conditions they will just sit
there looking really good beautiful
foliage and then start to come up into
flow so late season plants that's
another lot of plant material that you
can think about really good other than
that maybe think about species that self
seed around things like arider and
Carvin anus for instance this is a
fantastic Spanish Daisy to you and me I
love it some people think it's an
absolute nightmare some people can't get
it to grow in their Garden you know
vinaa Bon arianis another one all of
these self seeders
verbascum they are great you will get
them popping up left right and Center
giving you some if you don't want them
to seed around it's easy cut off the
seed heads or just get the seeds out as
and when they come through but those are
something that people are going to have
to learn to live with the more
naturalistic we are the more we will
find that our Gardens will look
fantastic because you can go out into
the landscape during the times when it
is dry and it is baked it still looks
beautiful there will be little low
plants that are looking great there will
be taller seed heads looking good the
grasses will be giving you structure and
although the and what I'm trying to say
here is the things that need your
watering which are finding it more
difficult and get under more stress than
the herbaceous are your your shrubs and
trees save your water for the shrubs and
trees because the herbaceous have very
good at coming back once the actual
weather changes shrubs and trees get
under real stress and it's those that
are going to need your help more than
these just change what you put in have
that idea of the more naturalistic and
have the idea you don't do any gardening
in July and August just have a wonderful
time enjoy what you've created and I
think that's the way that we need to go
ahead now some people will not agree
with me on this and maybe you've got
your own well and you're able to water
quite freely but I do think we are going
to run into that situation we have to be
collecting water we have to be using it
wisely and for me personally trees and
shrubs will need more water than the
herbaceous stuff and just remember you
want to be looking for species you want
to be looking for things that are Alpine
but check where they're coming from more
late season plants more summer deciduous
plants and more plants that flower early
you cut them and they flower again later
that's where we need to be heading with
these wet Winters and dry Summers thank
you very much for watching and please do
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