Britain’s evolving gardens could see a rise in fig and almond trees due to a lack of harmful frosts, experts say.
Warming weather due to climate change means plants used to balmier climes have been doing well, the Royal Horticultural Society has said.
The charity is having to experiment with garden design and planting more than ever in order to navigate weather extremes.
This year has been exceptionally wet, while future years could bring drought.
Plans for its five gardens that span Devon to Yorkshire include planting atypical species outdoors and building more ‘rain gardens’ to channel rainwater down into soil where it can be stored.
Almond trees from the Mediterranean which were planted at their Wisley site in Surrey several years ago have fruited well for this first time due to a lack of frost.
Figs, which are generally not well-suited to the UK’s mild, wet climate, have been planted outside at the RHS’s Hyde Hall site in Essex for the first time.
Figs, which are generally not well-suited to the UK’s mild, wet climate, have been planted outside at the RHS’s Hyde Hall site in Essex for the first time (file image)
Almond trees from the Mediterranean which were planted at their Wisley site in Surrey several years ago have fruited well for this first time due to a lack of frost (file image)
RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey
Britain’s evolving gardens could see a rise in fig and almond trees due to a lack of harmful frosts, experts say (file image)
They have also planted cacti in the drier areas of the garden, and new climate-resilient roses are planned for the coming years.
Met Office data reveals that in the most recent decade of 2011 to 2020 there were 16 per cent fewer days of air frost and 14 per cent fewer days of ground frost compared with the 1981-2010 average.
There was also some record-breaking rainfall and flooding in 2024.
Tim Upson, Director of Horticulture at the RHS, said: ‘For gardeners, 2024 was characterised by water – too much rather than too little as has been the case in previous years.
‘While many woody plants flourished under cooler and wetter conditions, growing rapidly, more warmth loving plants that had experienced back-to-back boom years were far less floriferous.
‘As we navigate these weather extremes the RHS is prepared for some plant losses. What’s important is that we don’t replace like-for-like but continuously build our knowledge so that what we plant next is more likely to survive the contradictions in weather we’re set to see.’