June this year was the warmest June on record, with 14.5% of our planet’s surface enduring record-breaking temperatures, surpassing the previous June record set last year by 7.4%. Similarly, May 2024 was globally the warmest May on record. Met Office data indicate that daytime temperatures of over 40°C could become common by 2040.

The UK Met Office predicts that the current rates of climate change that we are witnessing will result in increasingly warmer and wetter winters (October through to March), along with hotter and drier summers and an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and flash floods. Indeed, an unparalleled number of flood alerts and warnings were issued in Great Britain in the first four months of this year, averaging a staggering 40 per day according to Environment Agency data.

With this in mind, you may wonder how our green spaces and wildlife will cope, and what you can do to make it more resilient. The total area of gardens in England is greater than that of nature reserves, and, if managed sensitively, can play a big role in mitigating the impact of climate change on wildlife. Read on for some suggestions on how you can alter your garden to make it more resilient to climate change, whilst helping wildlife.

The power of trees

Trees not only sequester carbon (capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide), thus directly help reduce its contribution towards climate change, but they also have the brilliant ability of reducing surface temperatures by casting shade and cooling air temperatures through evapotranspiration (absorb water through their roots before it evaporates from their leaves).

The shade that trees provide protects ground flora from getting scorched and the soil from drying out. Where possible, it’s best to choose native trees (to benefit native wildlife such as pollinators and birds) and those that grow quickly and reach maturity early, in order to receive the most benefits (both ecologically and in terms of carbon sequestration).

If you have space to plant a tree, it may just be one of the best things you can do for wildlife. Here are six species which are suitable for smaller gardens:

• Field maple (Acer campestre). A fantastic option for small gardens due to its compact habit, ability to withstand pollution, and produce rich autumnal colours.
• Crab apple (Malus sylvestris). With an excellent tolerance to drought once established, the crab apple is expected to flourish despite our increasingly hot dry summers. Its attractive early spring blossoms are also a magnet for pollinators, as are the fruit for birds in the autumn.
• Goat willow (Salix caprea). Thriving in any damper areas of the garden, this tree can tolerate temporarily saturated soils due to winter downpours as well as slight droughts in the summer. The catkins also provide an important early pollen and nectar source for pollinators when few other plants are in flower.
• Juniper (Juniperus communis). This small hardy evergreen is another species with a good tolerance to drought. Not only does it cast shade, but its dense foliage and branches provide ideal nesting sites for small birds such as goldcrests and its berries are a favourite among thrush species such as song thrush, mistle thrush and fieldfare.
• Hazel (Corylus avellana). A fast grower, this small tree if managed correctly through coppicing, can live for several hundred years. One of its many benefits to wildlife is its production of hazelnuts after only three to five years – a valuable food source to small mammals and birds such as great spotted woodpecker and nuthatch.
• Silver birch (Betula pendula). Another species that withstands droughts well and can be a good option if you prefer a tree that doesn’t cast so much shade due to its open canopy of small delicate leaves. The birch tree’s compact shallow root system means that it can be planted in tight spaces, although be warned that it can grow up to 30m. The birch has enormous benefits for wildlife, supporting over 520 insects, as well as small birds that feed on them and its seeds.

When planting any tree, check the soil and sunlight requirements and choose the species depending on the space and conditions present.

The best time of year to plant trees is during their dormant period between November and March. Ensure that the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, and water during the first few months of growth in the spring to help them establish.

Build a rock or ‘rubble’ garden

For low maintenance gardening which requires minimal weeding and watering even during times of drought, consider a rock garden.

If you think you require expensive granite boulders shipped from the highlands, or Jurassic limestone rocks, think again; some of the best rock gardens can be made from concrete rubble and bricks discarded from building works that usually end up in landfill.

It’s a common misconception that gardens require rich, moisture-retaining, fertile soil for plants to flourish; whilst some plants may benefit in such conditions, many (including numerous native species) will thrive in nutrient-poor gravel and sand-rich mediums.

Plants grown in rich, fertile soils will likely be the first to struggle in times of drought and need frequent watering as well as weeding (think of nettles thriving around the base of a compost bin where there is plenty of leachate).

In contrast, rockery plants produce shorter, sturdier growth which is more resilient to drought and the rockery substrate allows excellent drainage in times of heavy rain, preventing roots from becoming waterlogged.

You can create a rock garden at any time of year but doing it in the autumn gives the plants time to get established into the new environment.

To get started, spread a layer of sharp sand (averaging around 30 cm) mixed with crushed rubble in undulating mounds over the area you want to transform. On top of this layer, place larger pieces of rocks or rubble and then fill in the gaps between with a mixture of equal parts topsoil and fine gravel, pebbles or small pieces of broken rubble.

Note that if you want to make your rockery plants especially hardy, you can skip the topsoil all together, but you may find that the plants don’t grow quite as big (this is no bad thing though, since harsh soils make it difficult for any one plant to become too big and dominate, thus maintaining species diversity).

Aim for irregularity and fewer straight lines to obtain a more natural look. For inspiration on similar gardens, look up the London Olympic Park and the walled garden at the Knepp Estate in West Sussex. Below are some suggestions of native plants to include in a rock/rubble garden:

• Sea thrift (Armeria maritima)
• Viper’s-bugloss (Echium vulgare)
• Bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum)
• Rock rose (Helianthemun nummularium)
• Wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare)
• Maiden pink (Dianthus deltoides)
• Wild clary (Salvia verbenaca)
• Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
• Wild basil (Clinopodium vulgare)
• Common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)
• Wild thyme (Thymus polytrichus)

You can also use non-native plants and varieties such as hardy geraniums, Eryngiums, Echinaceas, verbenas, salvias and lavender, as well as bulbs such as crocuses, tulips and alliums to give a succession of colour and nectar and pollen sources for pollinators, but don’t forget the natives since some of our wildlife depends on them.

Make the most of your rainwater

The UK’s increasingly wet winter months combined with the fact that droughts and hosepipe bans are becoming ever more frequent during our summers means that there’s never been a better time to get a water butt. Install as many as you can and rig them up to every roof; even a small greenhouse or shed can fill a water butt in a heavy downpour.

By storing up winter rain you will have a ready supply of water, even when there is a hosepipe ban, and you will also be playing a small part in alleviating pressure on drainage and sewage systems, thus reducing the severity of pollution events. By using rainwater, you will also reduce pressure on reservoirs.

If you have space, digging a pond or making a rain garden provides fantastic habitats for wildlife, and you can use the rainwater collected in your water butt to periodically top them up.

Using rainwater for this purpose is much better than using tap water since rainwater is soft and doesn’t contain salts, minerals and chemicals such as chlorine (used to treat drinking water), which can be damaging to wildlife such as amphibians which have porous skin.

A rain garden is a shallow depression in the ground which receives and temporarily holds water run-off from roofs or other impervious surfaces such as sloping paving. Rain gardens differ from ponds and bog gardens in that water is able to slowly percolate into the soil below.

As a rough guide, to accommodate typical UK rainfall a rain garden should measure approximately 20% of the roof (or other surface) area receiving the rain, and the depression should measure around 25cm in depth. The area is planted with pollinator attracting plants that can temporarily tolerate standing water, but also don’t mind dry spells between downpours.

Suitable plants for rain gardens include yellow flag iris (Iris pseudocorus), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) and ragged robin (Silene flos-cuculi).

Love your lawn

Opting for a living lawn rather than an artificial lawn or hardstanding is one sure way to help your garden and its wildlife cope better with climate change.

Plastic turf and hardstanding such as paving create a barren landscape for wildlife and absorb much more radiation than grass, causing them to reach greater temperatures under the same weather conditions, with the former overheating and becoming unusable on hot summer days.

Long grass has a cooling effect on the local environment, particularly in the presence of some shade.

Paving and artificial lawns are less permeable to rainwater (resulting in more surface run off which may contribute to flooding) and airflow, as well as restrict access to important nutrients and minerals from decomposition of natural materials like leaf litter, essential for feeding soil organisms such as worms and keeping the soil healthy.

Not only this but covering the ground with a non-living barrier means that there are no food sources such as nectar-rich flowers for wildlife and restricted access to organisms like burrowing insects. Around three quarters of wild bee species nest in the soil, including ivy bees and ashy mining bees.

Mown lawns are vastly better for wildlife than no grass at all (providing a permeable surface and hunting grounds for invertebrate-eating birds such as blackbird and green woodpecker), but ideally leave some grass uncut.

Grass allowed to grow taller helps to retain soil moisture and develops a more extensive root system. This in turn improves its ability to withstand drought conditions, reducing its tendency to go brown (and reliance on watering).

Longer swards also provide shade, shelter and food for animals, particularly small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Multiple studies have shown that clovers which are commonly found in lawns and longer grass are one of the most favoured flowers by bumblebees, whilst the grasses themselves are the foodplants for many butterflies and moths including the meadow brown and large skipper.

By creating a minibeast haven, you will also provide a buffet for larger animals such as bats, birds and hedgehogs.

No garden? No problem

If you don’t have access to an outdoor space, fear not, you can do a huge amount for wildlife by adding vertical habitats and features to the outside of buildings; after all, bare walls (and fences) are wasted opportunities.

One effective option is to grow climbers up walls. Suitable native species include common ivy (Hedera helix) and honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), however there are lots of other non-native species and varieties which have wildlife value such as wisteria, clematis, climbing roses and jasmine.

Once established, climbers can create fantastic microclimates, and a valuable refuge for nesting and roosting birds and insects, particularly during extreme weather conditions when the temperature amongst the leaves is kept more stable (through the provision of shade, evapotranspiration and insulation).

Not only this, but the plants may even help insulate buildings in winter, and keep them cooler in summer, helping you to cut your energy costs. These plants also have the benefit of providing food sources for birds and insects in the form of nectar and pollen-rich flowers and fruit such as berries, as well as excellent nesting cover for species such as blackbird, house sparrow and robin.

In particular, ivy has much to offer wildlife; its dense evergreen foliage provides shelter for birds and insects, the autumn flowers sustain pollinators, and the berries are a vital food source for birds long after other fruits have been consumed.

If you don’t have a patch of ground to plant climbers, consider growing drought-tolerant plants in windowsill planters, pots or hanging baskets (see above rock garden recommendations).

If it’s not possible to grow plants, you can still provide more temperature-stable nesting and hibernation features, such as woodcrete bird and bat boxes.

Woodcrete (a mixture of wood fibres and concrete) maintains a more stable internal temperature, meaning roosting birds are kept warmer in the winter and nests kept cooler in the summer, ideal for our changing and unpredictable climate.

When siting bird boxes, also consider the wall aspect and avoid south-facing walls (which can overheat in the increasingly common heatwaves) and west-facing walls (which are more vulnerable to heavy rain and storms). The best position for these boxes is a sheltered north or north-east facing wall.

The opposite advice is usually given for bat boxes, but there is growing evidence that south-facing aspects may now overheat on hot days. Ideally multiple boxes should be installed on different aspects to offer a range of warm conditions. Place bat boxes as close to the eaves as possible, at least 4 m high, ideally near vegetation and away from artificial light sources.