Home / Environment / Topiary Artist Adapts to Unpredictable Seasons Driven by Climate Change
Topiary Artist Adapts to Unpredictable Seasons Driven by Climate Change
28 Sep, 2025
Summary
- Topiary artist Andy Bourke adjusts work due to earlier warm weather and extreme weather events
- Prolonged hot, dry spells and heavy rainfall make it difficult to plan work year-round
- Topiary designs now depend on daily temperature rather than traditional seasonal patterns
As of September 29th, 2025, a topiary artist in the UK has had to significantly adapt his work due to the effects of climate change. Andy Bourke, who has 15 years of experience in the field, explained that the arrival of warmer weather earlier in the year has confused plants into thinking summer has already begun.
The Met Office confirmed that the summer of 2025 was the hottest on record, following the warmest and sunniest spring since data collection began. Bourke said this unpredictable weather has forced him to change his approach, as he can no longer rely on traditional seasonal patterns to plan his work. "Climate change is definitely affecting what we do and nature doesn't know what time of the month it is," he stated.
Bourke, who previously worked as a chef before transitioning to horticulture, now has to take things day-by-day rather than meticulously planning for the year ahead. The prolonged hot, dry spells and heavy rainfall have made it difficult to maintain his topiary designs for regular clients. "We don't tend to work now by the month of the year, it's just by the temperature," he explained.
