The green garden in a global warming world
Submitted by Gardening Blog
Written by Michael Vass
Let’s say that you believe in ‘global warming’. You believe that the climate is changing, becoming warmer and probably wetter in many areas. This is obviously going to affect plants and trees around the world. And that also means that it will affect your garden too.
In Britian the desire to have the political buzzword ‘green’ involved in their gardens is preeminent. This is going beyond not using pesticides, or removing concrete from the garden. It involves the choices of planting garden plants that require less water, or growing from seed plants that are currently bought annually. Instead of planting tomatoes you may want to go with a less water intensive fig.
In temperate zones grass may not be the best ‘green’ choice, Chamomile might be a better choice. In hotter more arid zones like Spain you might want to plant Cacti.
Also you should keep in mind that longer springs and summers will change how fruits and trees are grown. Apples and pears need the cold periods to help spur flowering and fruiting. Pine trees need the cold to promote leaf growth.
All this says nothing of the other thing every gardener must be aware of, pests. With warmer weather means more aphids and spider mites. Not to mention that pests will migrate to new areas where they previously were never before.
The ‘green’ gardener in the ‘global warming’ world has many things to consider. Reduced water use, insect invasions, changing choices of plants, biological controls instead of pesticides, and evolving seasonal patterns in fruits and flowers. It’s a lot to consider. But it is not beyond the ability of a proper green thumb.
