Temperatures are already climbing and gardens are showing the strain. Joe Perkins explains why the answer isn't more water but "right plant, right place" — from a National Trust garden with zero irrigation this summer, to an 85% cut in irrigated turf at a Commonwealth war cemetery in Tunisia, to everyday gardens across Sussex.

How do you protect a 500 year old oak? There's a difference between protecting a tree and designing around it as if it isn't really there. The clearest example I can point to is a veteran oak at Sheffield Park & Garden sitting in the middle of a site I was asked to turn into a new garden.