Community group combats coastal gardening challenges

Challenging planting conditions

Gardening in a coastal area can be challenging due to high winds. In February 2023, Broadstairs Town Team, a Kent-based charity that runs volunteer-led town improvement programmes, received an RHS Sustainable Futures grant. The group are looking to tackle extreme weather conditions using the RHS funding.

In recent years, strong north-eastern winds, especially close to the beach, have caused considerable windburn damage to plants and blown away mulch used on flower beds. This coastal area has experienced much colder weather than the rest of the southeast of England and a severe lack of rain over the last few summers, resulting in the group re-thinking how they garden to ensure longer-term resilience.

Innovative steps

Practical and innovative steps are also being taken to address the universal issue of watering. As well as investing in large water butts that have been installed across the town, they have switched from traditional bark mulch, which blew away easily, to composted bark mulch that is helping to retain more moisture and prevent run-off from rain on the ground. A trial DIY bottle irrigation system, involving planting recycled plastic bottles in the ground to create a drip irrigation system, is also helping save water and volunteers’ time. This approach encourages plants to form deeper roots, which makes them less susceptible to drought.

Watch this space as we continue to share how our Sustainable Futures grant recipients are addressing the environmental challenges they face around the UK.

Perhaps your gardening group faces similar challenges. Are you using a ‘right plant, right place’ approach to tackle the climate emergency, for example, changing your planting to drought tolerant planting? If this article has inspired you to do the same, let us know.

Sign up to our monthly newsletters for information on our upcoming grants.