National Trust-owned Mount Stewart sits on the shore of Strangford Lough, a large sea inlet in County Down. Thanks to what’s believed to be a unique microclimate, Mount Stewart’s gardens are filled with Mediterranean and exotic plants – even banana trees – that would normally struggle to survive on the temperate coast of Northern Ireland. It’s a stunning place. 

But as a rapidly changing climate brings greater weather extremes and a growing risk of saltwater intrusion, the National Trust is considering whether the gardens’ location remains sustainable over the coming decades. Do they need to be relocated? If so, where?

We’ve placed various sensors within and outside the area believed to be the microclimate, allowing us to monitor conditions and changes over time. 

Interestingly, the first summer’sresults indicate that the microclimate area isn’t any warmer than the surrounding countryside. Yet itfeels hotter in this part of the estate. 

Maybe the trees surrounding the microclimate help protect it from cooling or damaging winds and maintain humidity, keeping the soil moist.Perhaps the area is less frost prone.We’re not drawing any conclusions until we have at least a year’s data. 

We’re also comparing our readings with official records nearby to understand how muchthe actual temperature at Mount Stewart varies from those records. This will help the National Trust create bespoke climate projections, but again, we’ll need a minimum of 12 months’ data to ensure this modelling is meaningful.