Climate change is bringing more extreme weather patterns to the UK with higher temperatures bringing wetter, warmer winters and longer, drier summers. The impact of this upon natural systems can be profound with increased flooding, drought and loss of habitat and biodiversity.
Public and private landscapes large and small can make an invaluable contribution towards mitigating these impacts and Elaine embeds much of her work with a variety of ways to do this.
Design features may include:-
- Creating cooling shade with trees and shrubs.
- Designing planting schemes to absorb Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Planting strategies to absorb rainwater. These may include diverting flow into rain gardens and creating living roofs on sheds and living walls.
- Harvesting rain water and grey water for watering the garden during periods of dry weather
- Providing targeted habitat to support local species
- Appropriate planting choices with damp and drought tolerant plants and a wider range of planting for long seasonal interest.
- Encouraging and supporting pollinators with planting that flowers across the seasons
- Other advice on sustainable gardening such as recycling materials, becoming more self sufficient, propagating plants, eliminating peat and chemical use, composting and managing and creating healthy soil.
Contact Elaine to find out more about how you can make your outside space more climate ready.