England's historic gardens lose trees in record heat

England's historic gardens are losing mature trees and changing what they plant as record heat and drought put centuries-old landscapes under strain, gardeners and heritage officials say.

At Hampton Court Palace, head gardener Graham Dillamore said some trees in the formal gardens southwest of London had "given up" and would not recover. He said losing mature trees was tragic in a historic garden.

Rosie Fyles, head of gardens at Chiswick House in west London, said the site had already lost trees. She said oaks, sycamores, birch and limes, all associated with English gardens and landscapes, were among those suffering.

Gardeners told AFP that straw-like lawns were less of a concern than the long-term effects of climate change on mature trees and the character of historic gardens. They said it is not practical to water mature trees during extended dry conditions.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund said staff at historic gardens surveyed earlier this year all reported climate change impacts, including drought, heavy storms and excessive winter rain that can encourage fungus and pests.

Drew Bennellick, the fund's head of lands, seas and nature policy, said historic gardens were on the front line of climate change and that changes were happening quickly. He said some sites had lost 80 percent of their tree cover.

Climate modelling by researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew predicted that by 2090, 50 percent of Kew's trees will be at risk of death.

Some gardens are moving toward plants better able to survive drought and heat. At Hampton Court, test beds include Siskiyou Pink plants from the southern United States and echinaceas from US prairies. Hampton Court and Chiswick have also stopped digging over flowerbeds and relaxed their approach to weeds.

Dillamore said historic gardens must be protected but also must change in coming years or risk being lost.