The heatwave has created a series of unique challenges this summer. Johnsons of Whixley is one of the UK’s largest commercial nurseries located in the Vale of York, as a grower we have become accustomed to the vagaries of the British climate but increasing volatility brings more exposure and in some cases the need for a re-think.

Our three-generation family business supplies 5-6 million plants to UK-wide planting schemes per year and our plants can be found enhancing the grounds of varied projects.

The heatwave has had a noticeable impact on our business and the wider horticultural sector. It has affected every aspect of a plant’s typical life cycle on the nursery. The warm temperatures mean that plants require extra care and resources to ensure that they continue to thrive ahead of being sold.

Our irrigation systems are supported by holding reservoirs and ponds which have been heavily depleted over the summer months, so much so that we have extended our total storage capacity in order to hold a more substantial reservoir.

Graham Richardson is the managing director at Johnsons of Whixley. PIC: John Steel Photography

During this period sales slowed as the temperature built. Our customers postponed orders and put shopping on hold which resulted in the need for more bed space to store our plants, so much so that we were required to build more bed space at one of our five nursery sites.

This came as an extra cost to our business, as we were forced to hold over and tend to stock that should have already left the nursery. We also had unforeseen expenditure in materials and labour, in order to expand our temporary holding space.

For some customers, the commercial reality of having to return ‘to site’ and irrigate was simply a cost too far and therefore postponing planting was inevitable.

Some of our plant species’ witnessed accelerated growth which required more costly cultural work while other species’ growth was suppressed meaning they didn’t reach a salable condition in our optimum sales window.

The conditions had the effect of creating an early ‘false autumn’ as the resulting stress caused some tree and plant varieties to lose leaves in order to offset the extent of water loss. This is nature's natural defence mechanism and is often its final attempt to survive.

During the peak of the heat, we were forced to shut up shop as the heat was unbearable for our workforce, outside employees’ hours were reduced and we invested in Gazebos worth over £1,000 to provide areas of shade for staff to work under.

Our supply chain was also affected as supplies from our partners in Europe were choked as they too felt the effects of unique drought conditions.

The plants were not the only ones to struggle during the heat on our 200-acre nursery, our onsite apiary which houses up to 800,000 bees during summer struggled to keep cool in the increased temperatures.

Honeybees that are exposed to temperatures over 42 degrees for more than a few hours are likely to suffer from heat stress which can result in death. This has meant that honey production generated from our natural ‘abundance of pollen’ has been less than previous years.

Climate volatility is the great unknown and we remain ill equipped to forecast the extent of the challenges that lie ahead. As net contributors to the environment, our trees and shrubs will play a pivotal role in offsetting climate change via carbon capture.

Graham Richardson is the managing director at Johnsons of Whixley.

How the recent heatwave was a horticulturist's nightmare - Graham Richardson