Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Wet and dry

Wrigs21Wrigs21 Posts: 194
in Plants
Interested to know how others are coping with current weather conditions. Spent last year desperately trying to hold onto plants during drought conditions so replaced a number with drought tolerant options only to get hammered with down pours this year! 

It’s certainly been a challenge with clay soil and a steep hill, interested to know how others have dealt with the conditions. Have you changed planting styles? 

Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I haven't changed my planting. I don't buy tender plants or plants that need moist conditions anyway. Who knows what the weather will do next? It seems to change each year.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    In the past I was mainly interested in buying slug proof plants. Now it's drought tolerant slug proof plants 🙄
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • clematisdorsetclematisdorset Posts: 1,348
    :D that made me laugh @B3, that is what I am trying to do, especially with summer flowering herbaceous plants.

     It is really difficult to contend with the up and down weather. @Wrigs21, at the moment I am trying to improve my soil and create distinct areas. eg dry and sunny/ dry shade/ and then for the areas that get rain and sun and wind, I am trying to find plants that work there. Sometimes evergreen shrubs are the only answer in my garden, but it depends what the conditions are in yours. Do you have raised beds where you could put plants that prefer dryness? Are you suffering from damp or swamp-like conditions? I think zoning the garden might work and creating distinct areas. Also boundary planting with shrubs might help. I agree it is a complex area. I think with your clay soil and steep hill, your gardening conditions are different from mine, but I find the rain seems to fall in the wrong places in my garden, so I am working on adapting.
    Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    This summer's been great for plants here (except for the dry spell mid-May to mid-June). Plenty of moisture :smile: . The only minor downside has been more bitey insects but the plants don't care about that, it's me that gets bitten.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Wrigs21Wrigs21 Posts: 194
    clematisdorset said:
    :D that made me laugh @B3, that is what I am trying to do, especially with summer flowering herbaceous plants.

     It is really difficult to contend with the up and down weather. @Wrigs21, at the moment I am trying to improve my soil and create distinct areas. eg dry and sunny/ dry shade/ and then for the areas that get rain and sun and wind, I am trying to find plants that work there. Sometimes evergreen shrubs are the only answer in my garden, but it depends what the conditions are in yours. Do you have raised beds where you could put plants that prefer dryness? Are you suffering from damp or swamp-like conditions? I think zoning the garden might work and creating distinct areas. Also boundary planting with shrubs might help. I agree it is a complex area. I think with your clay soil and steep hill, your gardening conditions are different from mine, but I find the rain seems to fall in the wrong places in my garden, so I am working on adapting.
    The large beds on the hill side are all perennials, protected from winds but not all have loved the soaking! It’s certainly been challenging. My bed of calamagrostis are looking very sorry for themselves! 
  • micearguersmicearguers Posts: 646
    Where we're going we'll need plants that are drought, flood, heatwave and hurricane-proof. Plus the occasional deep freeze and I'm sure there's more, such as pests spreading more widely and finding weaker hosts.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I think molds old and new will become more of a problem with warmer, damper air.
Sign In or Register to comment.