UK: Man, 61, who has grown a tropical jungle in his back garden claims to have stored thousands of litres of rainwater to protect from drought
It comes as millions of Britons face a hosepipe ban as a drought in England looms large
By Jack Wright
For Mailonline
Aug 10, 2022
Excerpt:
Mike Clifford’s 65ft-long garden behind his suburban bungalow in Poole, Dorset is packed with extraordinary species native to South and Central America, Africa, and China, many of which are at risk of dying due to the shortage of rain.
Aerial photos lay bare the stark contrast between the 61-year-old’s luscious green plot and his neighbours’ parched lawns.
Mr Clifford, who lives in a part of the country where there are no formal restrictions in place but future ones have not been ruled out, says he has built a system of water butts buried beneath ground containing over 2,000 litres of rainwater collected in winter which he hopes will be enough to save his garden.
The avid gardener uses submersible pumps connected to the butts as well as two hosepipes to soak the plants. If his water reserves last until September, then he will be able to salvage the garden for next summer. He will then dig up and pack most of his micro-jungle away in a back-breaking effort to protect it from the winter cold.
