No worries - reverse the flood flurries

Crazy weather means we have states all over Australia waiting for levies to break and rivers to overflow.  I heard something about 75 per cent of New South Wales, including Sydney is affected.

One turf grower was asked by the journalist (a little naively me-thinks) doesn't the rain bring you more top-soil. It seemed to be implied in her question, doesn't the rain improve growing conditions? No, was his unsurprising reply.  The rain brings more sand deposits than top-soil.  Are we people so not in touch with our earth, that we don't know floods destroy crops? Was she trying to put a positive spin on floods?

Ironically, this is a strong reason to get in to growing vegies and other produce around your property, to help absorb the heavy rains, which these mad weather patterns are bringing so they don't rush down the drains, in to rivers which then end up overflowing.

And let's not forget the Wind! ........ Hiss!

Last week, we had one of those blistering barnacles of a windy week, and people I know were cursing, that's climate change, and what's it going to do to our gardens etc.

This is another thing to consider when we take away the garden and start installing something akin to an outdoor room.  How well are screens, structures secured down? In a mighty storm, are we better off having a well pruned garden  and trees with deep roots that can bend and sway, or man-made structures that might, if not installed correctly, break apart and wreak havoc in peak storm events. Then there is the permeability and heat island benefits of having planted up gardens with large porous areas.

This is where arborists come in in advising us about suitable trees.  Methinks in years to come, this profession will earn a more hallowed reputation than before.