Chumasande MatiwaneNo one is safe from the impacts of the climate crisis. The impacts can sometimes affect many gardens, hindering the wildlife ecosystem in the garden. These impacts may seem subtle at first. This is why it is vital to understand how climate change affects your garden.
As your garden grows bigger and healthier, climate change is slowly affecting the abundance of some species in the garden.
Understanding the impacts on your garden
With some areas warming up and receiving less and less rainfall, food scarcity becomes a major problem as gardens won’t produce enough fruits to sustain wildlife. When the gardens are too hot or too wet this majorly impacts gardens and this is seen through loss of plants, reduction in biodiversity, and the garden’s ability to sustain their produce.
Some plants will die out and the animals and insects that rely on them for food either die out or have to move somewhere else. This migration will affect your garden tremendously as food scarcity will drive many animals away from your garden.
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Major impacts of climate in gardens
According to Climate Change Gardening a UK-based climate organisation the major key impacts of climate change are:
- Climate change will affect the growing season, extending it longer, with few plants flowering disrupting the wildlife in many gardens.
- Shallow-rooted trees, heat-sensitive plants, and those requiring continually moist conditions may not survive hot and dry periods.
- More winter rain will result in water-logging and flooding, damaging some plants and preventing work in the garden.
Although wildlife can adapt, sometimes enduring additional struggles will prompt many animals to relocate.
Ways you can combat climate change in your garden
You may not be able to change the global climate by yourself but you may be able to at least combat the change in your garden. Encouraging wildlife to stay in your garden can be altered by just doing a few things that impact your garden positively. These proactive tips can help improve the overall climate of your garden:
- Planting more native plants
- Creating your organic compost
- Mulching more in your garden
- Planting more trees as they help reverse climate change.
With the little you do, there can be small changes in your garden, encouraging wildlife to visit your garden.
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Feature image: Pexels
