9:20am Friday 27th August 2010
By Chris Crowder
HERE in the UK our summers are predictably unpredictable. Dry one day, wet the next and blowing hot and cold by turns. Its what keeps our gardens green and conversation revolving around the ever changing weather.
Travel not too much further south however, into continental Europe, and soaring temperatures and seasonal drought become more the norm. It is in these conditions that shade from the burning midday sun becomes not just pleasant, but essential.
Many new homes there rely on air conditioning and shiny steel shutters pulled down over every window to keep them cool. But some older houses use a far more sustainable and attractive alternative - Virginia Creeper.
Here, we know the plant as the very vigorous self-clinging climber, which will reach right up to the gutters in no time and turn a gorgeous deep red in autumn. Turn up the heat abroad though and its usage is quite literally turned upside down. There it is allowed to tumble down from the rooftops in a waterfall of fresh foliage, a curtain of greenery that shades and cools the rooms behind.
Simple, yet very effective. Keep it in mind for next time we get a Westmorland heatwave...
Chris Crowder is head gardener at Levens Hall chris.crowder@me.com.
Jobs to do this week:
Keep deadheading dahlias, penstemons and other tender bedding to prolong the display.
Take cuttings now of tender plants, so they root and are established inside before winter.
Hebes and lavender can be given a light prune, after flowering.
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