Health Protection Agency warns of heat wave risk

An official warning just published by the Health Protection Agency report says that there is a one-in-40 chance that the south-east of England will suffer a serious heat wave by 2012.

This is not good news for the many gardeners already struggling to keep their favourite plants irrigated. Fitting a water butt can help in this situation by catching rainwater -but on a large scale this can look unsightly. A better, but more expensive solution, is the storage of grey water and rainwater in an underground tank.

Mulching of plants can also help to prevent water being lost by evaporation - but a far better plan is to adapt your planting to include plant tolerant of drought.

Many of you will have noticed the unseasonally warm temperatures this Spring - and the daffodils already out! In fact, Trawscoed in North Wales recorded the temperature as hitting 64F (18C) on 12th Feb - twice the norm for the time of year.

Act now to replant your garden with more drought tolerant plants

Another great source of reclaimed garden gems

If you find yourself down near Exminster in Devon, don't forget to check out

Toby's Architectural Antiques and Reclamation

Artfully planned decay

'the real test of a well-composed garden is not how nicely it blooms but how beautifully it decomposes' Piet Oudolf

The man has a good point...

I admit I have long been a disciple of Piet's approach to planting design. When composing a new scheme, I start with a backbone of plants that will give structure to scheme throughout the year, even in the dead of winter - such as hedges, grasses and evergreens

I then begin to add in smaller shrubs and decidous plants, before finally adding the wow plants, the ephermeral layers of flowering perennials - the icing on the cake.

Read the full article in the New York Times