I couldn’t agree with you more. There is a certain section of the population who seem to think it’s OK to call people weak and pathetic for just basically looking after their health. I listened to a radio programme yesterday where people were ringing in to complain about some schools closing because of the heat. If you’ve never done a job, you have no idea how hard it is but a bit of common sense and empathy would help. I’ve been watching a team of landscapers laying a driveway for the last couple of days and couldn’t help thinking it might have been more sensible to leave it for a couple of days. There was no shade at all and it was 35 degrees yesterday. Maybe they’ve got loads of jobs on and can’t afford to stop?
Thing with kids, particularly younger kids, is that they lack the sort of life experience needed to make decisions about what is a good idea and what isn’t, hence why adults have to make provision for them. It’s why we don’t let them buy alcohol, gamble and so on.
As for landscapers, I suspect you’re absolutely right about them not having the time to step away from work. I just hope that whoever was in charge on that job was keeping a close eye on everyone’s wellbeing.
I was actually meant to visit the Walled Garden at Knepp on Friday but they closed it because of the heat. Kind of ironic if it’s meant to be a model of a climate change resistant garden.
I’m a freelance maintenance gardener in London but also a single mum with young kids which means I’m restricted to working between the hours of 9am-5pm. So unfortunately for me this week that meant letting down some clients and losing out on income as it just wasn’t possible to work past 1pm without risking my health. I guess these are just the inevitable downsides to working outside - but still I’d take this over sitting in an air conditioned office in front of a screen any day.
People and gardens go hand in hand, but when it gets hot the garden must be left alone for the safety of people. Given how hot concrete can get it was undeniably a good move on Knepp’s part.
I’m a little concerned about the heat this year; for people like us it makes sense to be cautious and lose hours (if we make ourselves ill by pushing through one day we risk losing income the next day and even the day after), but we’re also freelance gardeners and it’s unlikely either of us can sustain this for a prolonged period.
I am really struggling to choose new trees that will hopefully be resilient but also fit into a smallish garden without being too close to the house etc.
Thank you. Here in New England heat and humidity also go hand in hand; this coming week will be difficult and hard on this particular suburban gardener, though, as you say, I garden for myself now and I can come inside to cool down when I need to. Take care, stay well above all else.
That is quite incredible about the way you were treated by clients. And I would love to see the quick to complain people doing manual work outside themselves or trying to teach a class of 30 kids in those temperatures. I was a teenager in the 1976 heatwave and I remember it as a golden summer of sunbathing in the garden (sun "tan" cream of probably factor 5) but not at all unbearable, and I don't remember adults particularly complaining. The following year I had my first vacation job between school and university, working as a guide in a whisky distillery. It was also a very hot summer . The still house temperature was about 40C when all the copper stills were firing, and everyone thought it was apocalyptic. Last week that was the temperature in many places outdoors.
Through the garden design course I'm doing with Jo Thompson just now I've realised that I have very little shade in my garden. That probably accounts why on an instinctive level I've felt that it's horribly exposed and vulnerable. I'm definitely planning more trees for ground shade.
Very useful advice on caution about just sticking in lots of Mediterranean plants.
Humidity makes even moderate heat absolutely miserable to work in. You have my sympathies, and bravo to clients who put your safety above a particular schedule for tasks.
I can work in my own gardens in the heat (above 29°) with high humidity IF (and only if) I'm dressed in essentially bathing-suit style quick dry fabrics, with a wide-brimmed high-tech shade hat, and I take a 10-minute break *every *hour to drink electrolytes and water!
That's a lot of break time. And no way could I do that 8 hours a day, every weekday.
Re forcing plants to grow differently and with deep, deep roots: there's cool stuff being done in the Karoo of South Africa with vines & grapes, and in California, by a guy named Brendan who seeks out abandoned antique-variety apple trees that are surviving California's long-running drought, as well as breeding his own varieties and tending to them in ways that force them to adapt to dry conditions. It's fascinating stuff. https://californiagrown.org/blog/posterity-ciderworks/
There’s a lot of interesting research being done out there, and it’s a good thing. Diversity leads to resilience, both in planting and how we grow things. If every garden grows the same plants in the same way then it would leave gardens open to failures.
I couldn’t agree with you more. There is a certain section of the population who seem to think it’s OK to call people weak and pathetic for just basically looking after their health. I listened to a radio programme yesterday where people were ringing in to complain about some schools closing because of the heat. If you’ve never done a job, you have no idea how hard it is but a bit of common sense and empathy would help. I’ve been watching a team of landscapers laying a driveway for the last couple of days and couldn’t help thinking it might have been more sensible to leave it for a couple of days. There was no shade at all and it was 35 degrees yesterday. Maybe they’ve got loads of jobs on and can’t afford to stop?
Thing with kids, particularly younger kids, is that they lack the sort of life experience needed to make decisions about what is a good idea and what isn’t, hence why adults have to make provision for them. It’s why we don’t let them buy alcohol, gamble and so on.
As for landscapers, I suspect you’re absolutely right about them not having the time to step away from work. I just hope that whoever was in charge on that job was keeping a close eye on everyone’s wellbeing.
Really really good points. Big cherry tree in our garden just died and we're feeling the lack of its shade severely.
A tree doesn’t have to be massive to make a difference; even a modest tree like a cherry can cast useful shade.
It was pretty big! We're going to try replacing it with another mulberry, as I'm told they're resistant to honey fungus. Also awesome.
Lots of food for thought here!
I was actually meant to visit the Walled Garden at Knepp on Friday but they closed it because of the heat. Kind of ironic if it’s meant to be a model of a climate change resistant garden.
I’m a freelance maintenance gardener in London but also a single mum with young kids which means I’m restricted to working between the hours of 9am-5pm. So unfortunately for me this week that meant letting down some clients and losing out on income as it just wasn’t possible to work past 1pm without risking my health. I guess these are just the inevitable downsides to working outside - but still I’d take this over sitting in an air conditioned office in front of a screen any day.
It is ironic isn’t it?
People and gardens go hand in hand, but when it gets hot the garden must be left alone for the safety of people. Given how hot concrete can get it was undeniably a good move on Knepp’s part.
I’m a little concerned about the heat this year; for people like us it makes sense to be cautious and lose hours (if we make ourselves ill by pushing through one day we risk losing income the next day and even the day after), but we’re also freelance gardeners and it’s unlikely either of us can sustain this for a prolonged period.
I am really struggling to choose new trees that will hopefully be resilient but also fit into a smallish garden without being too close to the house etc.
It might be that plants currently considered to be ‘large shrubs’ might be more appropriate, even if that means pruning them to shape.
Yes I was coming to that conclusion! Maybe a couple of columnar trees as well where I can fit them in!
Thank you. Here in New England heat and humidity also go hand in hand; this coming week will be difficult and hard on this particular suburban gardener, though, as you say, I garden for myself now and I can come inside to cool down when I need to. Take care, stay well above all else.
Maybe in the future summer will be a bit more of an ‘off’ season for me… who knows?
Maybe for me, too. Who knows?🙂
That is quite incredible about the way you were treated by clients. And I would love to see the quick to complain people doing manual work outside themselves or trying to teach a class of 30 kids in those temperatures. I was a teenager in the 1976 heatwave and I remember it as a golden summer of sunbathing in the garden (sun "tan" cream of probably factor 5) but not at all unbearable, and I don't remember adults particularly complaining. The following year I had my first vacation job between school and university, working as a guide in a whisky distillery. It was also a very hot summer . The still house temperature was about 40C when all the copper stills were firing, and everyone thought it was apocalyptic. Last week that was the temperature in many places outdoors.
Through the garden design course I'm doing with Jo Thompson just now I've realised that I have very little shade in my garden. That probably accounts why on an instinctive level I've felt that it's horribly exposed and vulnerable. I'm definitely planning more trees for ground shade.
Very useful advice on caution about just sticking in lots of Mediterranean plants.
It will become abundantly clear in the near to middle future that a lot more sun loving plants thrive in light shade than in 40-degree heat.
Plus of course we get the other advantages of trees, like the vertical interest and so on.
Humidity makes even moderate heat absolutely miserable to work in. You have my sympathies, and bravo to clients who put your safety above a particular schedule for tasks.
I can work in my own gardens in the heat (above 29°) with high humidity IF (and only if) I'm dressed in essentially bathing-suit style quick dry fabrics, with a wide-brimmed high-tech shade hat, and I take a 10-minute break *every *hour to drink electrolytes and water!
That's a lot of break time. And no way could I do that 8 hours a day, every weekday.
Re forcing plants to grow differently and with deep, deep roots: there's cool stuff being done in the Karoo of South Africa with vines & grapes, and in California, by a guy named Brendan who seeks out abandoned antique-variety apple trees that are surviving California's long-running drought, as well as breeding his own varieties and tending to them in ways that force them to adapt to dry conditions. It's fascinating stuff. https://californiagrown.org/blog/posterity-ciderworks/
There’s a lot of interesting research being done out there, and it’s a good thing. Diversity leads to resilience, both in planting and how we grow things. If every garden grows the same plants in the same way then it would leave gardens open to failures.