Sally Morgan is a writer, academic and gardener who manages her garden to get the best results in these days of climate change and uncertainty.

Between 1961 and 1996 UK temperatures rose by 0.8 degrees centigrade. The climate has become less predictable with earlier springs and autumns, a heatwave in 2022 and in 2021 the coldest May for 400 years!

Daffodils in London for Christmas, Magnolia in bloom in Cornwall for New Year and this year the apple harvest is a month early, creating storage problems.

When trees like the oak come into leaf earlier it impacts the caterpillar population that are food for blue tit chicks, but too early for their breeding season, thus affecting the whole ecosystem.

There are bulbs like tulip and crocus that need six to eight weeks of chill to flower. There was discussion of how proactively gardeners should introduce trees from the south to replace some current species that may not thrive in the changed climate.

There are more heavy downpours that resulting in rapid runoff, causing flooding and soil erosion. This is all made worse by more housing and impermeable surfaces, so the challenge is to slow run off.

Gardeners are encouraged to collect water in butts and empty before a storm. Green roofs covered with plants, permeable parking spaces and ditch like swales leading to holding depressions with plants that don’t mind a waterlogging can all slow down run off.

Summer drought is another climate issue facing gardeners and there are gardeners like Beth Chatto in Essex who have developed gravel gardens and ones using pulverised concrete that have not been watered for thirty years.

These gardens have drought tolerant plants like salvias, lavender and thyme and Prairie plants that are well adapted to seasonal drought and survive without watering.

Sally is committed to promoting biodiversity in gardens. She encouraged us to not to dig and to mulch our beds with organic matter to conserve moisture.

Dead hedges can be of value to wildlife, help to prevent erosion and conserve moisture. She is passionate about not using peat and there was lively discussion about how to find an effective peat free compost.

Next meeting will be held on Wednesday, 9th November at 7.30pm in Kilmersdon Village Hall with Mervyn Reed ‘David Austin Roses’ – a new style of rose - see website for further details: www.kilmersdongardeners.org .

Trisha Jordan