All Systems Grow

Dec 30 2007 Bill Chudziak

A Look Back At Last Year In The Garden

It has been a mixed year for gardeners. The biggest influence has been the weather or, to be more accurate, climate change.

We were warned of a horrendously dry summer and planted many arid-loving shrubs.

However, the floods soon put paid to them and while you could say it's the unpredictability of global warming, in many ways it just reminded me of a typical summer, wet and miserable.

One thing's for sure though, average temperatures are up and its effects are plain to see - daffies flowering in November and shrubs putting on a second show of flowers in the autumn.

CLIMATE CHANGE

The media's push to make us ever more aware of climate change has led to confusion with nearly half of all gardeners left asking, "Does my garden make a difference?"

The crux of the issue revolves around our increasing desire to carry out some form of "green" gardening.

Yet the reality is few gardeners are transforming that impetus on to their green space in a way that affects the bigger picture.

GROWING FOR GOLD

The trend for gardening has been on a steady decline since programmes such as Ground Force disappeared from the prime-time TV schedules.

Alan Titchmarsh and co used to do wonders for attracting marginal gardeners, specifically males in the 30-45 age group, but no longer. So 2007 continued on this downward trend which looks set to persist unless the media can get hold of a younger more energetic presenter. Give me a call!

ORGANIC PRACTICES

Chemicals have become a major focus for gardeners. Sadly, 2007 didn't see the leap of faith required by supermarkets to make organic products cheap and commonplace.

The result is more of us want to grow our own chemical-free crops and while there are plenty of organic bug-zapping products out there, an increasing number of gardeners are learning to live with "the enemy".

PLANT TRENDS

Retailers have tried to capitalise on our extended season by encouraging us to grow more exotic varieties.

Patio plants and their hybrids saw a rise in the number of varieties available with umpteen new tender perennials like osteospermum and dwarf dahlias.

Taller dahlias like the dramatic, dark-leaved Bishop of Llandaff are also high fashion.

Borderline perennials like penstemons have also made it en masse to the garden centre as have varieties of ornamental onion (allium).

Dramatic plants such as phormiums, cordylines and tall grasses such as miscantus and stipa have also done well.

WILDLIFE GARDENING

2007 saw more wildlife gardens and for me the highlight has been the development of "prairie planting".

This design style attempts to recreate wild prairie meadows, where grasses intermingle with perennials beneficial to wildlife.

Its success depends on choosing the correct varieties in the right proportions so it can be self sustaining.

One of the best outcomes of this is the Sheffield School of prairie planting.

Here, perennials are both sown and planted thickly, so that weed seedlings are robbed of light and never get a chance to establish.

CAR-AZY

Another major change to our gardens in 2007 was the sheer number of front gardens that were paved over to provide extra parking.

Rain that would have typically been reabsorbed into the earth is rechanneled into an already over-burdened sewage system and this has contributed to increase flooding in low-lying areas.

If you plan to use block paving, make sure you avoid impermeable membranes and ensure there are nubs on the bricks so water can pass between them and back to ground.

HOME-GROWN

As property prices rose through the year, home owners have realised that rather than upping sticks, it's cheaper to stay put and extend.

As a result, many are developing their gardens to a much higher standard than before.

The outdoor room is now seen as an extension of the house and it's not uncommon to invest £10,000-£20,000 in a fully-designed rear and front garden.

CHILL OUT

One in five of us like to grow our own produce and one of 2007's biggest sellers was chillies, especially popular with male gardeners.

Unusual oriental salad varieties and giant veg seeds - like the massive Kelsae onion - were also big hits with guys.

It seems size is important!