Is your garden ready for bed?

If your garden seems a little weary this year, it’s not your imagination. The unusually sunny, dry Spring and now Summer, has definitely taken a toll.

Spring 2025 brought not just low rainfall, but an unusual amount of sunshine to southern England, and while the long sunny days have been great, from a gardener’s perspective it’s been tough! Plants have been struggling, growing more slowly, flowering unseasonably early and in some cases, heading towards dormancy months ahead of schedule.

Between March and May 2025, the amount of rain recorded at Heathrow plunged by more than 70% compared to the same period last year*. In March alone, only 4.4mm of rain fell—a staggering 95% reduction from the rather wet March of 2024. April and May followed suit, with rainfall down 73% and 72%, respectively.

At the same time March 2025 registered almost double the hours of sunshine as the year before (187.9 hours versus 94.9), with April seeing a full 100% increase.

Notes:

Data source: Met office*

Average = 1957 - 2025

2025 data is provisional

Impact on plants

Typically, the gradual arrival of warmer days and consistent spring rains promote steady growth: roots absorb moisture, new leaves emerge, and buds form.

However, in 2025, the unexpected increase in sunlight and higher-than-average temperatures weren't balanced by rainfall. As soils dried out, plants had to make tough choices. Many closed the tiny pores on their leaves (stomata) more often than usual, limiting their ability to cool down and absorb carbon dioxide. This meant slower growth and wilting, Without adequate water, root systems can’t expand, limiting access to nutrients in the soil and further stunting growth.

One of the most noticeable signs has been unusually early flowering. When faced with drought, many plants “panic bloom” shifting their energy toward producing seeds before conditions turn too harsh to survive. In some cases flowers were also shorter-lived and less vibrant than usual, a tell-tale sign of underlying stress.

Now in early August, many plants have already set seed, blackberries are already ripe and meadows ready to be mown. It really does feel more like early Autumn than Summer time.

*Data source: Historic station data - Met Office