The UK Climate Projections report will forecast the risks of sea level rise, droughts and floods in Britain over the next 80 years, showing each area of the country down to a 16-mile square grid.

The results and predictions will affect the planning of large building projects near coastal or flood plain sites.

They have deen developed by the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) and will be presented to the House of Commons by Defra secretary Hilary Benn tomorrow (18 June).

Palmstead Nurseries sales and marketing manager Nick Coslett said: “These results are eagerly awaited by suppliers such as ourselves. Predictions are helpful to us in terms of future planning, but they also help us to understand our changing environment and the need for businesses to adapt and change in response to such information.”

The predications are expected to show temperature increases that could see London experiencing temperatures of up to 41 degrees Celsius by 2080.

Landscape designer Andrew Fisher Tomlin said: “Clients are aware of rising temperatures due to climate change and often ask for plants that will cope with hot weather, with their minds focused on Mediterranean planting schemes, but rising temperatures in this country will mean more rain. I’ve put more drainage under lawns in the past two years than ever before.”

Palmstead Nurseries is hosting a series of talks discussing the issues during its soft landscaping days on 23 and 24 September.

Speakers at Palmstead Nurseries soft landscaping days include:

Chair: Kate Lowe – editor of Horticulture Week

Andrew Fisher Tomlin – landscape/garden designer

Chris Beardshaw – landscape/garden designer

Fergus Garrett – Great Dixter head gardener

Mark Gregory – vice-chairman Association of Professional Landscapers

Richard Bisgrove – University of Reading landscape academic

Brita von Shoenaich – landscape architect

John Tweddle – Westminster Council principal parks and open spaces manager

The National Trust is paying for a director to head up the Civic Society Initiative launched this month to lead debate on a possible new champion to replace the Civic Trust.

Community advocate Tony Burton, who was the National Trust’s director of strategy and external affairs, has taken on the role and told HW that civic societies were critical to providing a voice for green spaces. He explained: “The role that civic societies play is vital in being that local champion and voice for green spaces on the doorsteps of millions of people.”

He added that the coming months will be a chance for societies to share ideas on how the movement should go forward, whether with a new body at its helm, or purely with a web-based approach.

National Trust director general Fiona Reynolds added: “The civic societies are at the core of a crucial movement which empowers local communities and helps safeguard and improve the quality of the local environment.”

As well as the National Trust, the Civic Society Initiative is being supported by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the North of England Civic Trust, and the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Landscape Institute (LI) director of policy and communications Paul Lincoln said: “Over the past few years many LI members have been involved with their local civic societies and we are delighted that this initiative will be taking this important work forward.”

The aim is to “show the true versatility of heathers in any garden all year round”.

The BHGA says heathers are also ideal for ground cover and weed control, and are highly attractive to bees.

The theme, Back to Front, illustrates the qualities and habits of heathers throughout the year. Linking in with this theme is the contrasting colour schemes for winter and summer. The garden will demonstrate how russets, yellows and reds have a strong presence in the winter garden, while blues and whites come to the fore in summer.

BHGA chairman and John Hall Plants owner John Hall said: “The myth that all heathers need acid soil needs to be dispelled to encourage the re-appraisal of their use in family gardens. Heathers have many diverse, yet over-looked qualities and year-round appeal. They are colourful, low-maintenance and drought tolerant, and provide wonderful ground colour as well as encouraging bio-diversity. Heathers are attractive to butterflies and other pollinating insects, in particular the honeybee, which is currently under threat.”

The company responsible for the design is Down to Earth Design. Claire Bryant and Jackie Edwards set up the landscape design partnership after graduating from Greenwich University in 2006.