The Royal Horticultural Society’s Wisley Garden in Surrey has recorded the driest spell in the United Kingdom, having gone 43 consecutive days without rainfall. This prolonged dry period began on June 17, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius on 12 occasions since then, significantly impacting the garden’s landscape and surrounding areas.

If rain does not occur within the next 48 hours, the current drought will match the national record of 45 days without rain, a benchmark set in 1976 during a historic dry spell. The previous record at Wisley itself was 36 days in 1976, which the garden has already surpassed this year, marking the longest such period in nearly half a century.

The persistent dry conditions have caused noticeable stress on plant life across the garden. Trees have begun shedding leaves prematurely, and grass has become dry and brittle. Garden staff responsible for tending to rare and fragile plants report that they have never experienced a summer with such extreme dryness, prompting the implementation of water rationing measures to conserve resources.

Mark Gush, head of environmental horticulture at Wisley, highlighted the severity of this drought compared to previous years, noting that the current dry spell has surpassed the intensity and length of the 1976 event. Visitors to the garden have also remarked on the unusually parched conditions, with one commenting that the dryness feels more acute than during the well-remembered drought nearly five decades ago.

Concerns are rising regarding the adequacy of government policies in managing water resources amidst the ongoing heatwaves and resulting hosepipe bans. Some areas in the South West of England experienced comparable dry periods during the summer of 1976, but experts say this year’s heatwaves have been significantly more severe, intensifying the risk to water supplies.

The extended drought poses particular risks to Wisley's delicate horticultural collections, underscoring broader environmental stresses in southern England. The current situation highlights the challenges faced in adapting garden management and regional infrastructure to withstand increasingly frequent and intense dry spells driven by changing climate patterns.