Gardening in a changing climate
Planting opportunities and challenges
A changing climate will present gardeners with challenges and opportunities. Some plant species will thrive in the changing conditions and others will be more difficult to grow.
AGM denotes RHS Award of Garden Merit plant. More details about AGMs
Opportunities for gardeners - plants you can expect to see more of
Palms
| Brahea armata (blue fan palm) | Brahea edulis (Guadaloupe palm) |
| Chamaerops humilis AGM (European fan palm) | Livistona australis (Australian fan palm) |
| Phoenix canariensis AGM (Canary Island date palm) | Phoenix roebelenii AGM (pygmy date palm) |
| Rhopalostylis sapida (nikau palm) | Rhaphidophyllum hystrix (needle palm) |
| Sabal mexicana (Texas palmetto) | Trachycarpus fortunei AGM (chusan palm) |
| Washingtonia filifera AGM (Californian cotton palm) |
Smaller perennials
Convolvulus cantabricus; Convolvulus sabatius AGM (syn. C. mauritanicus) (blue rock bindweed)
Felicia amelloides (blue marguerite)
Climbers and wall shrubs
| Allamanda cathartica (golden trumpet) | Araujia sericifera (cruel plant) |
| Bougainvillea buttiana cultivars | Bougainvillea glabra AGM |
| Clianthus puniceus AGM
(parrot’s bill) |
Delairea odorata (syn. Senecio
mikanioides) (German ivy) |
| Ficus pumila AGM (creeping fig) | Hardenbergia violacea AGM (false sarsparilla) |
| Hibbertia scandens (syn.
H. volubilis) AGM (gold guinea plant) |
Mandevilla laxa AGM (Chilean jasmine) |
| Pandorea jasminoides (bower plant) | Passiflora racemosa AGM (red passion flower) |
| Plumbago auriculata (syn.
P. capensis) AGM (Cape leadwort) |
Podranea ricasoliana ( pink trumpet vine) |
| Solanum jasminoides (potato vine) | Sollya heterophylla AGM (bluebell creeper) |
| Streptosolen jamesonii
AGM (marmalade bush) |
Tecoma capensis AGM (syn. Tecomaria
capensis) (Cape honeysuckle) |
| Thunbergia grandiflora AGM (Bengal clock vine) |
Fruit
The following will become commoner &/or more reliable:
Apricot
Citrus
Fig
Grape (especially dessert)
Kiwi fruit
Loquat
Melon
Nectarine
Olive
Peach
Pomegranate
Plants for good garden management: tough plants for extreme conditions
Windbreaks
Arundo donax (giant reed)
Hedge screening
| Acacia | Cupressus sempervirens (Italian cypress) |
| Myrtus communis AGM (myrtle) | Nerium oleander (oleander) |
Trees (small - medium and able to withstand drought)
| Acacia dealbata AGM (silver wattle) | Albizia julibrissin f. rosea AGM (silk tree) |
| Callistemon viminalis (weeping bottlebrush) | Cordyline australis AGM (cabbage palm) |
| Eriobotrya japonica AGM (loquat) | Erythrina crista-galli AGM (coral tree) |
| Eucalyptus | Ficus carica (fig) |
| Melia azedarach (Persian lilac) | Olea europaea AGM (olive) |
| Ziziphus jujuba (Chinese date) |
Shrubs (that will withstand hotter summers and warmer, wetter winters)
| Artemisia | Buddleja |
| Choisya ternata AGM (Mexican orange blossom) | Elaeagnus |
| Fuchsia | Laurus nobilis AGM (bay) |
| Lavandula (particularly L. dentata) (lavender) | Pittosporum |
| Tamarix | Viburnum tinus (laurustinus) |
| Yucca |
Ground cover (for soil management and drought tolerance)
| Carpobrotus edulis (Hottentot fig) | Ceanothus griseus |
| Ceanothus. thyrsiflorus var. repens AGM | Coronilla varia (crown vetch) |
| Correa pulchella (Australian fuchsia) | Erigeron karvinskianus AGM (syn. E. mucronatus) (Mexican fleabane) |
| Felicia amelloides (blue marguerite) | Gazania |
| Hedera canariensis (Canary Island ivy) | Hedera colchica ‘Dentata Variegata’ AGM |
| Helianthemum (rock rose) | Hippocrepis comosa (horseshoe vetch) |
| Hypericum calycinum (rose of Sharon) | Hypericum linarioides |
| Hypericum x moserianum AGM | Juniperus communis (common juniper) |
| Juniperus conferta (shore juniper) | Juniperus horizontalis (creeping juniper) |
| Lantana montevidensis (syn. L. sellowiana) (trailing lantanta) |
Liriope muscari AGM |
| Muehlenbeckia complexa (wire plant) | Osteospermum jucundum (syn. O. barberae) AGM (Cape daisy) |
| Osteospermum ecklonis | Tradescantia pallida (purple heart) |
The following are alternative lawn grasses, more commonly seen in the Mediterranean, which are drought resistant
Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass)
Stenotaphrum secundatum (St Augustine grass)
Ryegrass
Challenges for gardeners: plants that will suffer
The traditional ‘English country garden’, comprising rambling roses, lupins, delphiniums and others, may be replaced by more tropical species. This is not to say that delphiniums will be impossible to grow, but may need more devoted attention. In addition, the following will present more of a challenge for home gardeners.
Winter-cool loving plants:
Daffodils
Bluebells
Snowdrops
Crocus
Tulips, iris and cyclamen will fare better but may suffer from winter wet.
Summer-cool loving plants:
Rhododendron
Primula
Alpine plants
Many conifer species
Birch
Willow
Ferns
Mosses
Fescue grasses (currently used for lawns)