Dealing with snow

The benefit of snow is that it acts as an insulator, protecting plants from the cold and frost, however, a heavy layer of snow can also cause leaves and branches to break, so it’s important to know how to deal with it when it arrives:

• Shake excess snow from the branches of large trees, shrubs and hedges, to prevent them from becoming disfigured by the weight.
• Remove heavy deposits of snow from the roofs of greenhouses or cold frames to let in the light and prevent the structures from bending under the weight.
• Use lengths of string to support the branches of conifers and stop them being pulled out of shape. Branches that move away from the main plant won’t spring back into place when the snow melts.
• Avoid walking on snow-covered grass as it will damage the turf beneath and leave unsightly marks on the lawn. It can also encourage the growth of fungal diseases which thrive in the cool damp conditions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/weather_coldweather.shtml

Whilst the UK freezes, temperatures in parts of the USA have been exceptionally high – Central Park saw almost 60F on Thursday 2nd February. This map shows shows unseasonably warm temperatures soaring across the continental U.S. this week.

Trees and plants budding early may lose their chance to bloom when the inevitable deep freeze returns, said U.S. Geological Survey ecologist Jake Weltzin, who heads a national network that monitors the timing of spring for plants and animals. He said peach trees are budding in Georgia and in Oklahoma forsythia and daffodils have been out for two weeks now, adding ‘it’s happening everywhere.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2095211/Warm-weather-wreaks-havoc-hibernating-animals-US-basks-unseasonably-high-temperatures.html#ixzz1lSWX3ewd

The team of RHS experts solved myriad enquiries which ranged from problems associated with pests and diseases to plant identification. Many of the queries pertained to the unpredictable temperatures throughout the year.

Chief Horticultural Advisor, Guy Barter said, ‘Last year was a record year for RHS Advisory. We had lots of enquiries from members about how the unusual weather would affect the growth and development of their plants.’

Thought I would share them with you:

Weather Forecasting 

The science of telling, with 70% accuracy, what the weather has just been

Climate Control 

 An essential decrease in consumerism to avoid climatic catastrophe

Water Companies

A business that sells back the rain that falls on you.

Snow and freezing temperatures are hitting the UK this week.Not good news for many plants that started to flower after such a mild winter.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/9047479/Snow-to-hit-Britain-as-freezing-temperatures-sweep-country.html

 However, predictions are that by the 2050s London temperatures will exceed the official definition of a heatwave - 32C by day with 18C by night – for more than a third of the summer.http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24031213-london-facing-killer-summers-in-climate-peril.do

Where does these leave our plants? Totally confused and challenged by the shifting temperatures which are bringing major changes to UK gardens. Time to change the way we garden? Let me know your thoughts and ideas for a new website coming soon at www. weathertogarden.com. Please post comments  here or email me directly at hello@globalgardening.org. Thanks!

Launched on 25th January 2012, the new Arbor Day.org Hardiness Zone Map separates America  into ten different temperature zones  and reflects that many areas have become warmer since 1990 when the last USDA hardiness zone map was published. Significant portions of many states have shifted at least one full hardiness zone. Much of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, for example, have shifted from Zone 5 to a warmer Zone 6. Some areas around the country have even warmed two full zones..

These long-awaited changes  show northward warming trends, while also targeting a few colder areas in the mountains. Growers in climates where warmer is the new norm can grow species of plants that would have perished in a colder zone.

“I think it will lead people to experiment with many plants they might not have otherwise,” says Steve Carroll, director of public programs at the State Arboretum of Virginia in Boyce, Va. “Nurseries might stock differently. We could see it will have an impact on all kinds of things in the garden world.”

The “hardiness” guide, last updated in 1990, lists average minimum temperatures for different latitudinal zones. Each zone is based on 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Two new zones were added in hotter climates this year for a total of 13 zones. 1 is coldest (-60 to -50). 13 is hottest (60 to70) and is found only on Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

This new map uses 30 years of weather data gathered from 1976 to 2005 and is more precise than the 1990 version, showing smaller areas and accounting for higher elevations and bodies of water that can influence temperature. It has been designed for the Web and allows people to enter their ZIP code to see their zone down to half-mile segments.

http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/story/2012-01-26/USDA-climate-zone-map/52787142/1

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/01/long-overdue-plant-hardiness-map-hothouse

• North London -The Regents Park, Inner Circle NW1
• West London – Hammersmith Community Gardens Association Phoenix Farm W12 & Ravenscourt Park Greenhouses W6
• East London - Growing Communities, Allen Gardens, N16
• South London - The London Wildlife Trust – Centre for Wildlife Gardening in Peckham SE15

http://www.capitalgrowth.org/big_idea/

The UK is set for some heavy downpours over the next few days which is good news for gardeners  – my water butt is almost empty and the ground is very hard.

The Environment Agency have been very concerned about the water supply situation and issued this update just a few weeks ago.

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Leisure/31_Drought_management_briefing_12_Jan_12.pdf

Its easy to fit a water butt and they can make a real difference in times of drought. Check out these websites for advice and stockists.

http://www.savewater.co.uk/

http://waterbuttsdirect.co.uk/

http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/Water-Butts.html

http://www.mygreenerhome.co.uk/water-butts-14/750-litre-wall-tank-water-butt-71.html

http://www.crocus.co.uk/products/_/tools/water-butts/prcid.97/

London in Bloom want to use the 2012 London Olympics as a catalyst to improve the number of meadows and wild flowers growing in london.

 The aim is to promote the celebration and creation of both wildflower meadows and nectar rich plantings in order to encourage community engagement, enhance the local environment and increase biodiversity.

http://www.londoninbloom.co.uk/news.phtml

The finding continues a trend in which nine of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since the year 2000.
 http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2011-temps.html

Time to consider different trees/plants to plan for a warmer yet unpredictable future?

 Love these lemons growing outdoors in Cornwall last summer.