top 10 drought tolerant plants
top 10 drought tolerant plants
With our summers becoming hotter and hotter each year, as gardeners we have an ever-increasing need for drought tolerant plants. There's nothing worse than spending time and money planting flowers only for them to have shrivelled up and died when a surge of hot weather arrives. Drought tolerant plants, as would be expected, often are native to hot climates and are therefore adapted to survive in these adverse weather conditions. Many of them have hairy foliage that helps them retain moisture or light coloured foliage that reflects the sun. Read on for our top 10 drought tolerant plants and find your match!
Lavender
A true classic and staple of an English garden, don't let the delicate exterior of Lavender fool you, this hardy, fragrant, evergreen shrub is the perfect match for hot, dry gardens. Once mature, warm summer days will help intensify the Lavender fragrance, they are fantastic for encouraging pollinators too. Alternatively, simply cut, dry and enjoy your Lavender for prolonged interest in the home too!
Kniphofia
Tall and stately with a totally tropical appearance, Kniphofia or 'Red Hot Poker', will really set your summer garden alight. An ideal plant for anyone living in a coastal area or country living, as they’re rabbit and deer resistant too!
Salvia
Salvias are a tough foe for the sun, they require minimal watering, do well in full sun to part shade and just seem to keep flowering throughout summer and autumn! None more so than Salvia 'Hot Lips' with their 'hot red' appearance a beacon for bees, fragrant foliage and relative hardiness from frost, makes it the perfect contender for your drought tolerant garden.
Agapanthus
Agapanthus are a sure choice for a drought tolerant winner! Commonly known as an 'African Lily' and as the name suggests, originate from South Africa! There are a number that easily tolerate the UK climate, especially during the summer months, whilst they're drought tolerant, they're not shy of rainy seasons. Just avoid putting them in clay heavy sites, alternatively grow in pots if all you have is clay in the garden!
Achillea
Achillea come in a spectacular array of colour and form, from classic swathes of creamy white blooms to the striking bright blooms of 'Purple Beauty' you are not short of choice. They are drought tolerant specialists, rooting deep into the soil to gather nutrients and smaller traces of moisture. It's always recommended to water your Achillea until matured and established in the garden.
Erigeron karvinskianus
We can't get enough of Erigeron here at Hayloft! Daisy-like, groundcover delights that require little, to no care to get going! Not just reserved for the ground, but you can often see them spilling playfully over-steps and walls, as they don't need much soil to grow. Give it a chop late summer for a fuller plant or leave to continuously grow, and you can enjoy blooms right up to November.
Eryngium
A pretty much indestructible plant, you're bound to get your money's worth with Eryngium! Tolerant of both drought and salt spray, so if you live by the coast this is the plant for you. They have the added bonus of being a beacon for the bees and butterflies too!
Delosperma
Another dainty, daisy-like flowering perennial, perfect for hot sunny spots in the garden. Fleshy, succulent leaves help to store water, they spread fantastically but maintain and diddy height of up to 15cm tall! A perfect addition for spilling over shallow containers or in gravel gardens.
Geranium
Hardy Geraniums are without a doubt one of the easiest plants to grow and they give so much back. Amazingly floriferous, unfussy on soil conditions, drought tolerant, great groundcover, attractive to bees and pest resistant. What’s not to love? One of our favourites though is Geranium Rozanne, did you know? This variety is actually sterile, meaning you won't need to fear it overtaking any borders.
Miscanthus Lady In Red
A new addition to the Miscanthus family for 2024, unusual vibrant red to dark plum foliage provides much needed colour late summer to autumn, alongside feathery plumes. You won't need to worry about the overall size; as Miscanthus 'Lady in Red' matures, you can expect a height and spread 1.2 x 1m, making it relatively compact, and suitable for containers. Thriving in a variety of soil types and any aspect, makes this a flexible, easy-to-care for addition to your drought tolerant garden.
