“We have no alternative”: Changing weather forces gardening group to rethink planting style

Todmorden in Bloom, which manages an array of gardening plots, hanging baskets and planters throughout the town, said the hot and dry summer caused many of their plants to struggle this year.

The Met Office has provisionally deemed this summer to be the warmest on record, and despite some late season rainfall, it was also very dry for many.

This summer’s mean temperature — 16.5°C — was made around 130 times more likely due to human-induced climate change, it added, with the five warmest UK summers all taking place within the last 23 years: 2003, 2006, 2018, 2025, and 2026.

Todmorden in Bloom Chair Sheila Greenwood, said the dry summer made watering the plants difficult, and the plants in the hanging baskets particularly struggled as a result.

Sheila said the group will now have to turn away from the colourful summer plant displays the town is used to, and look towards what is known as prairie style planting, which involves less colourful grasses and drought-tolerant plants.

She said: “In the town, it’s been a really difficult summer because of water shortages.

“We’ve got plans to change quite a lot of the gardens and containers to more Mediterranean planting, more prairie planting, drought tolerant plants.

“We have no alternative, really.”

The group plans to reduce its number of hanging baskets, which proved the most difficult to maintain this summer, as well as containers that require too much watering.

Late season rain caused problems too, with some plants thought to have died reviving themselves.

Replanting for the spring was arranged for a set day in October, meaning the revived plants had to be dug up despite having weeks of life left in them.

Speaking about the effects of the rainfall, Sheila said: “Lots of things bloomed really quickly.

“Some things we thought had died did come back when it started raining.

“It sort of extended the summer.”

With the prospect of a less colourful display in the summer months now more likely, the group has turned its attention to growing colourful flowers for the spring, and has recently planted polyanthus, daffodils and tulips.

Despite being faced with the weather-related challenges, the group had a busy and successful summer.

Working with Friends of Todmorden Station, it put together a show garden which was displayed at Shibden Park in August as part of the Seeds of Hope Festival.

A total of 10 micro gardens were created and displayed by community groups as part of the festival, as a celebration of community gardening.

Judging for Todmorden in Bloom’s local garden competition also took place this summer, with the prize giving taking place in October.

The group also won a Gold award in the annual Yorkshire in Bloom competition, within its Large Town category.

Judges praised the group for its “strong sense of place and heritage” and for its “visible community support and appreciation.”

Sheila praised the group’s achievements this year despite the challenges presented by the dry and warm weather.

“All things considered, because it had been a really tough summer, I think that’s really good,” she said.