Back in Summer 2022, we faced a hot, dry summer. Every week, the SEPA water scarcity report painted a more concerning picture about the levels of water across Scotland. In Dundee we were "extremely dry" and one of our borders was especially impacted by this.
In Dawson Park, we are gardening on clay, which is lovely and rich, but prone to drying out and baking in the sun. This border was narrow and in sun for most of the day. The only plants able to cope were some of the more resilient annuals like cornflowers, snapdragons coriander. We decided to start planning for a drought border. Beth Chatto, who famously set up a drought tolerant garden on an old car park, inspired us to create our own gravel garden. That Winter we researched some planting ideas, and set about starting seeds for the perennials that might work in this challenging space.
With multiple projects and borders being developed all the time, the border didn't get its final makeover until Spring this year, when we finally lifted some turf to widen the original border and begin planting. However! As many Dundonians will recognise - this recent Winter has been one of the wettest in our memories. Even our drought border flooded several times during the Winter and into Springtime! We had to adapt to the increasingly unpredictable climate conditions. The drought border became a "Resilience" border.
Fortunately, many of the plants that appreciate drought conditions are also very resilient to wet, but time will tell which ones will survive or thrive. Now it is an experiment in what plants will enjoy this new space. So far, the coriander that originally made it through that hot Summer of 2022 has self seeded and spread around. Once planted, the seedlings and young plants are given one healthy watering can of water and then left to fend for themselves...
Plants that are looking healthy so far:
- coriander
- california poppies
- rudbeckia
- helenium
- phlomis russeliana
- clary sage
- hordeum jubatum
- briza media
- stipa tenuissima
- verbena bonariensis
Team SAMH and volunteers love a good plant metaphor and this resilience border is no exception. We find encouragement that some of the plants can cope in a variety of harsh conditions and still make it through. We are inspired to develop our own coping mechanisms and resilience for our mental health. The experiment continues...
