Winter doesn't seem to be giving up in the UK right now! We should be enjoying milder conditions as spring really starts to make its presence felt, but instead we're getting the strongest blizzards we've seen this year.
This will obviously be immensely frustrating for green-fingered enthusiasts and gardening professionals alike, all of whom will undoubtedly be eager to get back to work outdoors.
Indeed, this time of year is typically one of the earliest opportunities to get the lawn mower out and start cutting back on any of the excess growth that has cropped up recently.
However, there could be more troubling long-term effects of the trend for longer, wetter and warmer winters.
Principal research scientist for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Dr Beatrice Henricot explained that this impact of climate change could lead to an increase in certain garden diseases.
She acknowledged that at the present time, the issues being experienced by gardeners up and down the country remain much the same as they have always been.
However, she noted that the high levels of rainfall experienced from April 2012 created the perfect conditions for certain strains of virus – particularly Cylindrocladium box blight.
This is a kind of fungal disease of box that can result in bare patches and dieback of box, especially in topiary and parterres.
Fungi is able to survive on fallen leaves and produce spores when conditions are suitable.
This means that it is essential that gardeners be vigilant about maintaining the tidiness of their green space – and why not make a start by looking at the extensive range of vacuums and blowers we stock here at MowDIRECT?
"While there is currently no cure for box blight, RHS scientists continue to work to develop measures that can be taken to manage the disease," Dr Henricot commented.
