ORGANIC BASICS
into action
Australia is the land of droughts and flooding rains, and climate change
will make it even more so. But Helen McKerral says we can prepare our
gardens to cope with seasonal extremes of heat, rain and storms.Spring
M
ost gardeners have stories to tell of
changing weather conditions. For me,
it’s the dry summers in my home state
of South Australia, which are becoming longer
and hotter. Adelaide is already the city with the
longest period between the end of spring rains
and the start of autumn ones, with only small
falls between. Temperatures over 40°C and dry
northerlies add to the challenge.
Despite a wet June in Perth this year, annual
rainfall in the southwest of WA has decreased by
about 20 per cent in the last 50 years. Meanwhile,
many Melbourne weather stations have had heat
records broken, and even Tasmania has becomesignifi cantly drier, with bushfi res ravaging areas
that have never burned before. Bushfi res are also
more likely to threaten outer suburban areas in
capital cities, including Sydney and Canberra.
These changes seem daunting, but gardeners
around the world have always been adaptable.
From tiny plots atop precipitous mountains to
desert palm groves, we’ve successfully used what
we’re given. And as resilient home gardeners, we
create small green spaces that double as carbon
sinks. It does take preparation and planning to
keep our gardens healthy in the face of increasing
seasonal extremes, but here are some of the
many strategies to employ in your garden.PHOTO: ALAMY