Are you going to change what you grow due to climate change?

It’s a challenge @KT53 isnt it. I get very irritated when I read or see pieces glibly tellling us to plant Mediterranean gardens and go for drought tolerant plants. Mmm..not happy sitting in wet soil however mild the winter might be

I’m looking at the plants recommended for rain gardens so able to cope with very dry or very wet. As I said up-thread, I think we will also need to change our mindset and accept that our garden will look better some years than others. Plants that will cope with or simply survive such variable conditions may not look good every year or consistently through the season. Surviving one extreme may mean just that, we might not loose them but they might look pretty miserable until their favoured conditions return.

Persicaria are good for rain gardens and they are certainly coping well here this year. Having said that they are not as large and floriferous as a normal (rain) year. My garden is also racing through summer and it feels about 4-6 weeks ahead with some plants already slowing and going into their late summer/Autumn mode.

We are so used to a consistent performance from our gardens having previously had fairly consistent/less extreme weather and plants bred to be reliable and have longer seasons than the wild species. Some of the challenges of Wildflower seed is their perceived unreliability, as some seeds may stay dormant for years until the perfect weather conditions occur. @Philippa’s suggestion of scattering annuals to create a seed bank is an idea I might explore. Both mean we probably have to accept more variability in how our gardens look at any particular time than we have been used too

 

Our blueberries and those of our local neighbours have really suffered this year. We simply haven't had enough rainfall to water them. Lots of people have had the same problem where their plants got partially desiccated in the early spring, recovered a bit and fruited, only for the fruits to shrivel due to lack of moisture.
On the flip side our currants and gooseberries were never better despite no watering at all.

 

I first became really aware of changes in our weather patterns/seasons in 2000 and I think the "extremes" have become more obvious over the last 25 years. Being aware is one thing but still frustrating as impossible to predict from one year to another.
As said, some plants have been wonderfully productive this year whilst others have been pretty miserable. Makes you wonder for how much longer Britain will be a nation of gardeners

 

What's a "rain garden"?

TBH, I think you just have to be in charge, if something is not fruiting well because its dry then water it, if its getting along ok, dont.
As I said earlier, its gardening, you are in charge, what you get out depends on what you put in.
The weather can be frustrating and I get good years and bad years of various trees and plants, always have, but you just have to go with what you get however frustrating it might be.
if you like growing things you will start each new year with enthusiasm, somethings will do well, some won't do so well.

The alternative is to just give up, I'm never going to give up until I have to.

 

They are gardens designed to help manage rainwater @pete Either to help reduce flooding and/or slow down and reduce the amount going into the drains

Rain gardens / RHS

 

Almost all woodchip will degrade in 6-9 months, becoming darker as it does so. It will be almost black by time it is fully decomposed, in 2-3 years. Meanwhile it will promote varied fungi/toadstools which will ,maybe, delight and entertain you.
Virtually any tree surgeon is a source of this material, often for no charge,although beers are a good currency in this arrangement.See :
Usage and terms - Arbtalk | The Social Network For Arborists