Climate change is the biggest challenge gardeners face. Over the last few years, I’ve highlighted some of the problems it has caused: unusually strong winds, flooding, waterlogging and our desperate battles with new and devastating pests and diseases. The scientific evidence for climate change is overwhelming and only a fool would deny it.

So I found a recent session on the subject gave a lot of food for thought. Although the speakers at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE) concentrated mainly on how prepared the botanic gardens were for climate change, many of the lessons apply to all gardens.

The weather isn’t what it used to be, as David Nott, curator of living collections across all four RBGE gardens, explained. Scattered throughout central and southern Scotland, the gardens show the difference in rainfall patterns throughout the country. Benmore, near Dunoon, was badly flooded; Dawyck, not far from Peebles, had slightly increased rainfall; the Edinburgh garden suffered very erratic patterns; but Logan, near Stranraer had experienced little change.

Inevitably, weather conditions vary from year to year, but we’re coming to expect dry, cold springs; wet, sunless summers; stormy autumns; and mild, wet winters. Global warming hasn’t heralded hot, sunny summers here, I fear. As gardeners, we can’t prepare for every eventuality, but we should take some precautions.

With such low air and soil temperatures, plants hardly grew this spring, so next year, use clear plastic cloches to warm the ground two or three weeks before sowing or planting. And water young plants during a dry spell, remembering that grey skies and an occasional light shower will hardly moisten the soil.

You can’t turn off the rain, but you can stop it drowning plants and compacting the soil, thereby making it sour and airless. Do this by breaking up clay soil or adding body to silty ground by forking it over and mixing in compost. If a low-lying part of the garden floods easily and you can’t lead away the water, accept the inevitable and plant water-tolerant plants.

Batten down the hatches and minimise the devastation of autumn gales by checking over buildings and structures to repair loose fitting and wonky joins. Remove the branches of trees that look fit to drop and, where possible, plant a hedge to protect some parts of the garden.

The war with pests and diseases was also discussed by Nott and Dr Katie Hayden, a mycologist at RBGE. A plethora of pests and diseases are new to Scotland, and to make matters worse many imported pathogens are hybridising with native pathogens to produce virulent new strains.

New tree pathogens are spreading throughout the UK, including the recently introduced ash die-back and Phytophthora ramorum, which now attacks larch trees. And pests are on the rise. Vine weevil is becoming much more prevalent, and rising temperatures have let lily and rosemary beetles spread north to Scotland.

Warmer, wetter conditions may damage many native species, and these stressed plants are less able to compete with new species and combat pathogens. At the same time, new species are well adapted to this new environment, so make effective colonisers.

Global trade has facilitated the new colonists. Plants, soil and even packaging can introduce damaging new organisms to the UK. Although imported plants need a "passport", confirming health, they may contain a pathogen without showing any symptoms of it.

So what can gardeners do about all this? Firstly, never bring back plants from holiday. And always try to buy locally-grown plants. Provide the conditions that let plants grow strongly and well. Why waste time nursing a sickly specimen when you can choose one with a will to live? Where possible, save your own seed and encourage self-sown plants to grow away.

And, most importantly, be vigilant and nip any problems in the bud.