The China Mail - All-white and lavender: Wimbledon hunts drought-resistant flowers

Hydrangeas, roses, petunias, and ivy grow along the walls of the courts and line the walkways at the tournament in southwest London, adding bursts of colour to the all-white dress code and trimmed green lawns.

But with an "inevitable" rise in temperatures due to human-induced climate change, the flowerbeds will need to be adapted, head of courts and horticulture Neil Stubley told a press conference on the third day of the coveted tennis tournament.

England experienced its warmest June on record last month, breaking several temperature records as the mercury rose to 37.7C in Norfolk in the east on Friday.

"There'll be more... lavenders and those sort of things that are just more drought-tolerant," said Stubley, adding the gardeners were looking for more "hardy" and "perennial" plants.

Hydrangeas, which are "very thirsty plants", have long been popular at Wimbledon.

"As part of tradition, we don't want to get rid of them completely," said Stubley, adding they would be placed in specific "shadier places".

Wimbledon's head gardener is "constantly" in touch with counterparts in flower-growing hub the Netherlands to find new plants and varieties that need less water, the horticulture chief added.

Stubley noted the team has been researching how to adapt the turf to different weather conditions for many years, looking for more drought-tolerant and hardy grasses.

However, Stubley pointed out that nights are still relatively cool in the UK, compared to southern Europe, allowing plants to "relax and respirate and calm down overnight".

In addition to the thousands of flowers that are on display year-round at the tournament site, some 27,000 plants are delivered to the gardeners specifically for Wimbledon every year.

N.Wan--ThChM