We are trying to keep a pre‑industrial flora alive in a post‑industrial climate, writes Richard Eltringham Your report (Half of England officially in ‘exceptionally serious’ drought, 29 July) makes me think that perhaps it’s time to admit what horticulturists have whispered for years: the native‑plants‑only doctrine has had its day. We can keep insisting that every garden, park and verge must resemble a 1790s botanical inventory, or we can face the obvious – the climate those plants evolved for no longer exists. We are trying to keep a pre‑industrial flora alive in a post‑industrial climate. Oak saplings are crisping, beech woods are browning, and “rewilded” meadows are going from hopeful to tinderbox in a single heatwave. Meanwhile, drought‑tolerant non‑natives – Mediterranean shrubs, prairie perennials, desert grasses – sit ready to do the job: hold soil, feed pollinators, stay green, stay alive. This isn’t heresy, it’s adaptation. If the choice is plant non‑natives or watch landscapes die, then the path is obvious. Clinging to botanical nationalism while ecosystems collapse is not conservation; it’s sentimentality. England’s climate has
Aug 5, 2026 → Aug 26, 2026
ONS data shows rising toll of climate crisis, with officials warning this summer on track to set further records More than 40,000 extra people died on the hottest days in England between 1988 and 2025 than would be expected in normal…
Read original at The Guardian →4 updates from 1 source over 3 weeks.
ONS data shows rising toll of climate crisis, with officials warning this summer on track to set further records More than 40,000 extra people died on the hottest days in England between 1988 and 2025 than would be…
Read original at The Guardian →As parts of Beth Chatto’s visionary drought-tolerant gardens in Essex turn brown, the head gardener offers advice Her debut book, in 1978, was titled The Dry Garden. After that, the late Beth Chatto created a rich…
Read original at The Guardian →Health secretary says global heating means UK hospitals and GPs will have to prepare for summer as well as winter peaks of demand Adapting to global heating: which UK public services are struggling in hot weather? The…
Read original at The Guardian →We are trying to keep a pre‑industrial flora alive in a post‑industrial climate, writes Richard Eltringham Your report (Half of England officially in ‘exceptionally serious’ drought, 29 July) makes me think that perhaps…
Read original at The Guardian →What this story stands on. Tier 0 is a primary record or the subject's own words; higher tiers must be attributed, never stated as bare fact.
ONS data shows rising toll of climate crisis, with officials warning this summer on track to set further records More than 40,000 extra people died on the hottest days in England between 1988 and 2025 than would be expected in normal…
View source →As parts of Beth Chatto’s visionary drought-tolerant gardens in Essex turn brown, the head gardener offers advice Her debut book, in 1978, was titled The Dry Garden. After that, the late Beth Chatto created a rich legacy with her expertise…
View source →Health secretary says global heating means UK hospitals and GPs will have to prepare for summer as well as winter peaks of demand Adapting to global heating: which UK public services are struggling in hot weather? The NHS has been warned…
View source →We are trying to keep a pre‑industrial flora alive in a post‑industrial climate, writes Richard Eltringham Your report (Half of England officially in ‘exceptionally serious’ drought, 29 July) makes me think that perhaps it’s time to admit…
View source →Tier key: T0 = Primary source · T1 = Wire · T2 = Outlet report · T3 = Commentary
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