I was talking to a new client the other week and I just wanted to share with you this little anecdote about why he's convinced climate change is a reality: he told me.

"When I was learning horticulture at secondary school in 1962 we had a 'passion fruit' (Star of Bethlehem) which in the dutch greenhouse, excited us with 2 flowers (no fruit). This was in West Yorkshire. 

In my back garden in 2007 (in Coventry) I had a rotting timber garden archway with Passion Fruit growing vigorously with around 200 flowers, and fruit growing on it just as though it was native to the UK."

We're going to keep coming back to this topic but I just wanted to introduce it with someone's perception based on their experience.  There is plenty of scientific debate and big business talk about whether or not it's really happening but I think that climate change is already changing gardening practices here in the UK.  The bottom line is if you're working in gardens regularly the reality is hard to ignore. 

Thanks for sharing David - so how about you? What's happening in your garden that convinces you that climate change is a reality and how are you adapting your gardening to cope?