Being a gardener is a perfect blend of working with people that share the same
values and interests and creating something slightly different each year with nature and with seasons.
The changing climate and the extremes of temperature that we're experiencing
mean that the garden, in some ways, is under threat but also in some ways it's an opportunity
to rethink and recreate and consider ways of running the garden much more sustainably.
This is Ham House garden meadow and we're right by the River Thames just beyond those trees.
One of the things we've noticed in the last five years is that the flooding is taking
place at different times to different extents because of climate change.
These plane trees are getting used to a changing climate as well. They've already got a disease
which arguably they're more susceptible to. And now we're managing them in periods of spring drought
and intense summer heat. So thinking about the future: 30, 50, 100 years out, if I was looking to
re-establish this avenue I'd be considering different tree species and looking at what's
advised in terms of their ability to adapt to the climate that we can now reasonably predict.
We were thinking about this space which was just grass squares. We wanted to cultivate it for the long term.
So we looked at the type of species that would thrive in a changing climate and apples are one of those species.
With climate change in mind we considered local varieties and also
included some modern ones. We wanted to have a rich, diverse mix but also consider the trees that might
cope better. And some of these modern varieties have a stronger resistance to certain diseases.
What you can see here is the biggest intervention in the garden since the re-creation
began by the National Trust in 1975. It's really a response to what people seek in gardens today,
and how we need to manage sustainably in the context of climate change.
It's partly about encouraging our visitors to wander through things, enjoy meadows, but also to take note of different
types of planting and different use of plants. So all these plants here they're in their first
few months of being in this soil. Our period to the 1680s, as is the rest of the formal garden,
but all of them will thrive in very dry conditions.
On the ground you'll see quite an odd-looking mulch.
On closer inspection it's a mixture of what we shred and chip from woody waste.
But also the National Trust compostable coffee cups. And the interesting thing about doing this
is the soil will retain more moisture, and it also suppresses the weeds.
One of the things that we wanted to do was give visitors space to just sit and enjoy
and feel like Ham House garden was their garden. But we need to give them space to sit in shade or
in comfortable temperatures. These benches we move according to how hot it is.
Today it's quite cool so they're south facing. If the weather gets hotter we'll move them and they'll go over that side
which is north facing, and they'll stay there until the temperatures dip again. A really simple thing
but we've noticed that if the temperature gets too hot over here no one enjoys the garden quite so much
sitting on these benches. One of the things we do is make sure that we're only using the water
we've harvested on site. And it's one of the things we're most proud of when it's been a really really hot summer.
We're really very fortunate that an irrigation system was put into the property in Victorian times.
It takes rainfall from the house guttering, brings it down to two enormous water chambers
that store the water. I inherited a pump system that takes it out and irrigates the garden.
It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by what we know about climate change, and I've found it
much better to think about how we can respond. To look at each thing that we change
that might contribute as being a positive step in the right direction.