One such green space is a 300-year-old lawn at King’s College in Cambridge, which has been allowed to grow freely. It has since seen a resurgence of flowers, insects and bats in the area.
As the planet warms, experts said it is time to rethink what goes into planting – for example, replacing standard turf grass with tougher native species that can survive on less water.
Worldwide, there are around 12,000 grass varieties, and many of them are hardier and better at withstanding climate change than ordinary turf.
“Grasses are adapted to really specific environmental conditions. They’ve evolved to deal with conditions like drought, like grazing, like wildfires,” said Mr Joe Richomme, a botanical horticulturist at Kew Gardens.
“So where other plants can’t establish, you’ll find that grasses can thrive. We’ve even got grasses as far south as Antarctica, where not much else will grow,” he added.
Kew Gardens, a UNESCO heritage site southwest of London, boasts one of the most diverse botanical collections in the world.
The famed botanic garden has more than 300 species of grass, and is at the forefront of finding innovative ways to grow more sustainable lawns.
Some of its grass species need little upkeep. “In the grass garden here at Kew, I only watered once even in the really hot period we had this summer,” said Mr Richomme.
For all the latest world News Click Here
