Are Traditional Gardens Dead? Part 1: Trees
Part 1: Trees.
Climate change means we all need to start thinking differently about what it means to and, how, we garden.
A fair share of Clients I speak to are looking for a garden that is somewhere between Chelsea ready and low maintenance’, however, the new normal (ostensibly meaning ‘anything could happen but there’s probably going to be a hosepipe ban at some point’) means achieving any garden at all is going to need some forward planning.
Trees, in particular will require careful consideration. Especially the trees we choose for our gardens from now on.
With most hoping to live at least 50 years, the right ones in the right place, 100’s, they will bear witness to everything Climate Change brings over the decades to come.
They are also some of the most important flora in terms of supporting both people (think shade, cooling, maybe, oxygen?!) and wildlife.
I went to Ely earlier this week for Barcham Trees ‘Our Urban Forest Future’ event. As a primarily residential designer based in rural Northamptonshire I do get to design a few urban gardens (and I do love the challenge of designing a small space and they are some of my favourites to work on!) but, they’re not something I do everyday.
So, why go to an urban tree focused event?
Well, consider the conditions your average urban tree has to contend with:
Often limited soil and planting space, soil compaction, erosion. Warmer temperatures and microclimates due to the urban heat island effect and limited water and nutrients. (As well as pollution, potential vandalism etc).
As Climate Change bites, these sound remarkably similar to the stresses that a lot of planting will experience in one form or another. Certainly the trees in your average garden might be in for a shock as temperatures rise and the convenience of watering gardens with drinking water is seen for insanity that it really is and the feast or famine effects of extreme weather affects soil structure and stability.
The insights provided came from a wide range of schemes - large scale tree planting in the Middle East, tree audits from across the American North West parks to the current challenges facing the Royal Parks Treescape teams.
Perhaps the biggest face-palm moment of the day for me was that in the USA, Native American Tribes Partners are being consulted to help in the management of areas of national woodland (presumably, that their ancestors had acted as custodians of for millennia, prior before being removed to create 'National Parks'?) as the approaches typically used in modern forestry management are not working to mitigate the now, increased, risk of wildfires.
(Finally. Waking up to the idea that working with nature instead of against it is a good idea)...
Another take away that can be applied to planting at any scale was resilience in diversity.
The example of one of the Royal Parks which has had a heavy historical reliance on London Plane trees (Platanus hispanica - as does much of London) and the emergence of a hitherto, unknown, pathogen attacking it. This is another by-product of a changing climate and in this instance, has led to the removal of a large number of mature trees, fundamentally changing the character, canopy cover and associated ecosystem of the space.
There are other species that have been and will be impacted by the influx of previously unseen pests and diseases brought about by the changing conditions with their effects rendering trees even more susceptible to less hospitable climate conditions.
There are many other impacts that will be seen and felt amongst our trees. Phenological adjustments (how plants adjust the timing of their seasonal lifecycle in response to changing climate patterns (such as longer growing seasons) will mean that species will survive based on their ability to adapt.
So, as we observe how some of our own garden favourites over the next few years and, when some of them inevitably fail, choosing their replacements from a range of trees better suited will be critical in helping to maintain ecosystems and all the other benefits they provide that we tend to take for granted.
