Sussex gardeners adapting to climate change, say family firm

Tates of Sussex run Paradise Park in Newhaven, Hassocks’ South Downs Nurseries, Mayberry Garden Centre of Portslade, and Old Barn Nurseries at Dial Post near Horsham. All its sites have reported customers who have changed habits over the past few years to adapt.

Director Darren Clift says: “It’s important to make changes so as not to lost valuable plants to the climate. We have seen this in buying habits and are frequency asked for advice on drought-tolerant plants to buy, as well as for hints and tips on how to keep plants alive during weather extremes such as droughts, gales and flooding.”

Our weather in Britain has always been rather unpredictable, but now more than ever it’s vital that we garden to mitigate the effects of the weather and to plan ahead. “Plants themselves are part of the arsenal we can use”, says Darren. “For example, we can use them to create windbreaks to protect other plants; they can also create shade to help reduce evaporation and increase moisture retention in the soil.”

Some parts of East Sussex faced another water crisis only a few weeks ago, with taps in some areas dry for a whole week. Darren says that careful garden management can reduce our resilience on mains water, not least we can all grow more plants which actually have the power to absorb water, not to mention reducing pollution and temperatures as well as creating habitats for wildlife also coming to terms with climate conditions.

“We need to think about using trees and plants in our gardens to best advantage”, says Darren. “They can reduce flooding risks by slowing down runoff from rainwater. We need to capture valuable rainwater as it comes off our roofs, and use it on the garden. Hedges in front of properties will capture pollution from vehicles while a wider diversity of plants will ensure a greater chance of some surviving if others are adversely affected by a weather extreme.”