“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.”

Spring is a heady time for gardeners, with bursts of long-awaited colour, although fleeting at times when nature brings seasonal winds and frequent storms. Although I’m encouraged and happy that it is Spring after the dreariness of winter, it is easy to forget just how unpredictable the spring days can be.

“Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom.”
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Right on queue, nature has delivered the full range of spring weather possibilities—scorching heat, high winds, pleasant days of sunshine, and cloudless, bright blue skies. There were cool mornings with heavy dew and late unseasonal frosts interspersed with drizzle, thick cloud cover, rainfall, fog, biting wind, hail, and the drama of electrical storms. We have had nights of thunderstorms and humidity followed only a few days later by high temperatures, dry, dusty, howling winds, and dust storms. Every type of weather over the past Spring months except snow and each day in the garden was a toss-up between checking for wind-blown damage to the roses, the presence of spider mites accompanying dry weather or humidity that causes black spot and fungal issues.

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.
Ruth Stout

It is a wonder any roses have bloomed with such extremes of late. Although large groups of roses had insect issues early on, the good news is that perfect roses are slowly returning, scattered across the garden rather than en mass. The second flush promises to be more beautiful than the start.

It is predicted by the Climate Council that we can expect in Australia continued heatwaves that will be more frequent and hotter for more extended periods. We can also expect more floods, droughts, bushfires and cyclones. So, what does this mean for our gardens?

Gardeners need to be more creative and innovative when planting and caring for plants. We can add more water in times of drought and heat through clever rainwater harvesting techniques and other helpful initiatives: permaculture techniques, rain barrels, water bags, rainwater tanks, watering tubes, drip irrigation and reusing grey water, but planting the right plants for our region is the key to successful gardens into the future.

Reducing climate change in the garden.

Slowing water evaporation by mulching the garden and pots with an effective thick mulch like pea straw, lucerne, pine bark, lawn clippings, wood chips, newspaper, cardboard, hardwood, coir or your chosen mulch. There are many options depending on what suits the garden and the look you are after, but all mulch will suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil.

Biochar is a plant charcoal that, if added to the soil, will improve soil structure and help the soil retain water. It also is a good base for beneficial microbes and fungi in the soil.

Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if they are growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world.
Wendall Berry

The most agreeable way to lessen the impact of climate change in the garden is by planting, and what gardener doesn’t love planting? Choose the most drought-tolerant, tough varieties of plants for the region of the garden. Consider the phrase ‘ right plant, right place’ before planting. A diverse range of plants will increase the potential for a broader range of pollinators: bees, butterflies, beetles, insects and birds. Pollinators will sustain the garden’s ecosystem but are at risk due to pesticides, habitat loss, security lights and other aspects of climate change.

Perennials, grasses, natives, shrubs, trees, herbs, and succulents that will thrive in drier conditions are reasonable solutions. These will keep the soil covered, suppress weeds, and build biodiversity. Plants, trees, and shrubs reduce climate change risk by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Perhaps add a green roof or wall to lessen heat in summer and insulate positively for winter. Growing climbing plants on your house may also help keep the house cool in the summer heat.

Garden tools and equipment is an area to focus on that can be more energy efficient. Using technology to reduce the need for petrol-based tools, sharing and hiring tools, or corded battery tools will also go towards a more environmentally friendly garden or outdoor space.

If I do live again I would like to be as a flower -no soul but perfectly beautiful. Perhaps for my sins I shall be made a red geranium!
Oscar Wilde

Compost is important. Compost as much of the kitchen and garden waste as you can. If space is restricted, join community garden planting lots and build larger compost areas that you can utilise at home. Compost is the best soil improver and will increase soil fertility and help the water-holding capacity of the garden. Using compost adds a valuable diversity of nutrients, microbes and fungi. Plus, healthy soil will hold carbon and reduce emissions. Further reading is available here on Soil Carbon Snapshot PDF.

The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.
Michael Pollan

“I always see gardening as escape, as peace really. If you are angry or troubled, nothing provides the same solace as nurturing the soil.”
Monty Don

Pelargoniums

Relax. The geraniums will do just fine.
Joan Lee Faust

Often neglected and forgotten, the humble geranium is a forgiving, hardy flowering perennial from the genus Pelargonium. They are one of the best plants for pots, patios, window boxes and verandahs that hint at Italian cobblestone streets and colourful vistas. Geraniums are woody, easy-care, robust, heat-tolerant plants with thick, fleshy leaves. The colours are often bright and vibrant through the palest mauve, pinks and whites. Consider filling some of those gaps in the garden with pelargoniums because, apart from the wide diversity of colour, they are drought-hardy, use little water, are easy to care for, low maintenance, and durable.

Long experience has taught me that people who do not like geraniums have something morally unsound about them. Sooner or later you will find them out; you will discover that they drink, or steal books, or speak sharply to cats. Never trust a man or a woman who is not passionately devoted to geraniums
Beverley Nichols

Planting a wide variety of different plants increases biodiversity and builds an extensive range of life forms into the garden, boosting the presence of pollinators, birds, bees, or other insects and reptiles.

Although I have reduced the range of plants this year, there are still many varieties in the garden as I prefer a wilder look than just one or two types of plants. Reducing or eliminating synthetic fertilisers is also beneficial to the environment, and instead, use slow-release organic fertilisers to prevent runoff into neighbouring waterways and dams.

Alliums are fascinating to watch unfold in spring and are a stunning addition to the garden in groups amongst roses and foliage plants. Alliums are from the Alliaceae family and range in colour from greens and white through to pinks, blues and deep purple. It took quite a while to establish these plants, and my first try at planting the Allium giganteum bulb failed. I was chuffed when I heard that a local nursery also had no luck with the bulbs either. I was successful once I added small plants, and I have had Alliums growing and multiplying ever since. The pale pink ones have yet to flower because this is the first year since planting them, but they will be out soon.

During winter, I lifted the Allium bulbs and divided them so my large patch is less this year and now scattered around the garden to form new clumps. Now, they will be left to multiply naturally and develop those gorgeous pom pom heads that bees adore. The flowers stay open for some time and, once finished, leave a beautiful dried seed head that is a great decorative addition to floral arrangements.

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.
Mahatma Gandhi

One rose that I have often admired but never grown before is the Fragrant Cloud Rose, which is in flower at last. This rose has been around for over sixty years, and the colour glows in beautifully formed, spectacular, single roses. The colour is bright geranium-style red, but what is extraordinary is the scent. It is said to be the most fragrant rose in the world and has a damask, fruity, spicy, sharp scent you cannot miss. This picture of Fragrant Cloud is the first bloom on a new bare-root rose planted in July into a large pot.

Fragrant Cloud was bred by Mathias Tantau, Jr. in Germany in 1956 and introduced as ‘Duftwolke’. It was then introduced in Australia in 1965 as ‘Duftwolke’. Then, in the UK, it was introduced by Harry Wheatcroft and Sons Ltd. in 1965 as ‘Fragrant Cloud’ and, in America, it by Jackson & Perkins Co. in 1968 as ‘Fragrant Cloud’.