Gardening weather: how this year's extreme conditions affected Britain's gardens Torrential rain left allotment holders struggling to manage their plots. John McNab, West Midlands panellist for the National Allotment Society, saw the change: "Plot-holders made less frequent visits to site, even in dry weather, presumably writing off the season. Some newcomers, their plots covered in weeds, didn't even start," he recalls. Professionals also felt helpless against the elements: Iain Tolhurst from Berkshire, a leading organic fruit and vegetable grower, says that he was "close to admitting defeat" in a way he had never felt before in 36 years. It wasn't just the wet. Soil temperatures were low and light levels lower, so only the hardiest crops made normal progress. Plants needing warmth and good light outdoors, such as beans and sweetcorn, struggled. Tomatoes under glass ripened weeks late, while aubergines, peppers and chillies laboured to grow, even when grafted. Chilli grower Joy Michaud, from Dorset, observed that most were four to six weeks behind, while 'Scotch Bonnet" and lantern types stopped growing altogether. Not all vegetables succumbed, however. Many reported success with moisture-loving celery, salads and brassicas, such as cabbage, kale and cauliflowers. In the testosterone-fuelled world of giant vegetables, cooler temperatures meant no record-smashing marrows or pumpkins, but others were ripe for the challenge at this weekend's giant veg competition at the National Gardening Show. Champion cabbage grower David Thomas from Cornwall is confident he will be close to the world record of 57.26kg [127lb]. We may also test the carrot record of 8.61kg [19lb]," says top grower Kevin Fortey. Wildlife winners and losers The cold, wet conditions suppressed flying insects, such as bees, wasps and flies, severely affecting the pollination of crops. Peas and beans were poorly podded while top fruit, such as apples and pears, and stone fruit, such as plums and cherries, were hardest hit, causing severe problems for the fruit industry. "Ideally, you need a good winter chill for trees to go fully dormant and form flowers, then a warm spring with plenty of flying insects, so blossoms are pollinated and over in five days," says fruit consultant Will Sibley. Although last winter was adequate, it wasn't great, creating many immature flowers. Damaging frosts, an unfavourable April with few pollinators, and dull light that kept flowers on trees, all took their toll. Back in my own garden with little top, stone fruit or even quinces to speak of, I found strawberries and blackcurrants did well, but raspberries moulded on ripening and gooseberries bloated and split. Without sun to ripen them, the flavour of many fruits was lacklustre. Unsurprisingly, the exceptional weather affected the balance of pests and diseases. While greenfly seem to have forgotten about world domination, another gardening nemesis surged to the fore: "Slugs and snails survived the relatively mild winter and soon made sizeable populations, decimating early crops," says Guy Barter, the head of advisory services for the RHS. Fungal diseases, such as apple scab, rose black spot and blossom wilt are also more prevalent than usual. Mildews flourished and the wet June fostered early outbreaks of blight on tomatoes and potatoes. Continual rain also hampered any attempt to control them. In the borders Herbaceous plants had mixed fortunes. Many started slowly and took time to fill out, while those from Mediterranean climes often looked decidedly dejected. "Moisture-lovers such as monarda did well, as did phlox and actaea," says Rosy Hardy of Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants. Perennial and peony specialist Claire Austin praised astrantia and iris. She says: "Peonies flowered later than normal, some into July, but buds failed to open. We've never seen that before. Bedding plants sat dejectedly in waterlogged soil, struggling to perform. Lawns and grassland soon became tricky, as turf can only be mown when dry. Moss and lawn weeds ran riot, while weeds rampaged through gardens large and small, nurseries and orchards. Brick driveways became pampas. Trees and shrubs Many trees and shrubs liked the wet conditions, which brought some respite from dry springs of the past few years. Many gardeners reported excellent growth; rhododendrons in Scotland's botanic gardens and azaleas at Exbury all did well. Tony Kirkham, head of the arboretum at Kew, is cautiously upbeat. He says: "The warm March moved trees early, but a cold April held them back. New foliage was left 'hanging. Liriodendron and liquidambar from eastern USA made phenomenal growth, but we need some more late-summer heat , otherwise this lush growth may suffer in early frosts. Garden visits and shows If you felt dejected about your own plot, spare a thought for the 4,500 strong army of owners in the UK who selflessly open for charity. "A few cancelled due to waterlogging or flooding, but owners and visitors are not easily deterred," says Chris Morley of the National Gardens Scheme. Even so, we expect donations to be between five to 10 per cent down on last year. Visitors to English Heritage and National Trust gardens were also about 10 per cent down year-on-year, largely due to the weather, as were visitors to RHS shows other than Chelsea, as people bought tickets at the last minute. "Many exhibitors had problems," says RHS shows director Stephen Bennett, "plants requiring sun such as hemerocallis and gazania needed changing and designers could not get the fine finish required around plantings. Unfortunately there was more damage to the Hampton Court site than previously known in its 23-year history, providing lessons for future shows. Mike Calnan, the head of gardens at the National Trust, also saw gardeners challenged. With 30 square miles of turf to cut, getting tractors on to boggy ground was problematic. We had trees down at Knightshayes and Stourhead, which temporarily closed, and our fruit collections suffered," he says. However, we are here for the long term and are looking at making our gardens more resilient to weather extremes. This includes larger storm drains and gullies to avoid erosion, controlling run-off into lakes and water harvesting and recycling to make us more self-sufficient. What about autumn? Summer officially ends on September 21. According to the BBC Weather website, it looks like being quite a dull start to the month, with below average sunshine. Changeable weather is likely to prevail through the first few weeks, though with some decent spells. Temperatures overall look more likely to be on the low side of average, whilst total rainfall is likely to be above average. And further into autumn? At this point the weather forecaster's caveat is invoked: "The weather beyond about a week ahead stretches even the most experienced weather forecaster." Lessons for the future So what of the future? Longer term, if extreme weather becomes more prevalent, we will have to be more ecologically sensitive, adapting what we grow and how and where we grow it. Gardeners of old knew how to manipulate microclimate and also use valuable natural resources such as soil, composted garden waste and rainwater to best effect. Selecting the right plant for the right place, growing it naturally, without over-dependence on fertilisers, is an important maxim. Healthy plants in tune with conditions are also more pest- and disease-resistant. "Maybe our gardens are suffering from a kind of obesity epidemic and now need a healthier regime to make them fitter for the future," says ecologist and planting designer Professor Nigel Dunnett of the University of Sheffield. Managing rainwater is also important. This is not just about collecting water in butts, but looking at how storm water and run-off can be controlled, stored and used in the garden, to support us in dry times, rather than all being funnelled down the drain. "I like the idea of using landscape, soils and plants to capture, clean, store and release rainwater, so we can better manage our urban areas," says Prof Dunnett, a leading advocate of rain gardening. With so many ways for gardening to be a powerful force for future good, wet or dry, which deity would not say "Amen" to that. Ian Hodgson is a garden writer, formerly editor of The Garden and editor-in-chief of RHS journals.