If your garden is looking dried and crispy after the past few weeks of soaring temperatures, it might be time to consider changing it up a little bit. With weather highs hitting over 30C in the last week, green-fingered Brits are battling to keep their gardens lush and healthy in the roasting temperatures.
However, one option could be to switch some of your more delicate plants for hardier, drought resistant ones. Jackson Nurseries garden centre manager Hayden Salt has shared his top plants that can handle the heat – and won’t break the bank. He said: “Over a hot summer plant varieties with little or no drought tolerance can become stressed, stunted, wilt or even die if they don’t receive adequate water.
“Choosing plants with a degree of drought tolerance is really important, especially as climate change presents gardeners with the challenge of gardening with less water.”
1. Geraniums
Hayden’s first pick is geraniums, famed for being hardy. They are easy to grow and will flower for months, giving your garden a gorgeous burst of colour. He said:“The popularity of geraniums is down to them being so low maintenance. They are tough and need very little care to thrive.
“Geraniums can grow well in both full sun and partial shade and are fairly tolerant to drought conditions.”
2. Sedum
Second on his list are sedum or hylotelephium – a sun loving succulent with striking purple flowers. He said: “Sedum look great from spring when their fleshy foliage is attractive and they come into their own in the late summer.
“They thrive in dry, sheltered locations with well-drained soil and are particularly tolerant to drought.”
3. Ceanothus
For a plant that is stunning all year round, try ceanothus. These impressive flowering shrubs love a sunny garden – but most varieties are evergreen, so will keep their leaves through the winter too.
Hayden said: “They like fertile, well drained soil and ideally a sunny, sheltered spot. Water ceanothus well while they are new plants. Once they become established they will be fairly drought-tolerant and won’t need regular watering.”
4. Agapanthus
Hayden’s fourth pick is agapanthus. Native to South Africa, these hardy flowering shrubs grow well in bright well drained soil.
He said: “There are many varieties of agapanthus available and most are fairly drought-tolerant, especially once they have become established.
“They are stunning and will suit most garden types with their flowers ranging from white to deep purple.”
If you choose to plant some of these hardy plants, you’ll be doing your bit for the environment by saving water during the summer months.
Hayden recommends paying extra attention to your soil to keep your garden even more drought tolerant.
He said: “It’s worth paying extra attention to the soil with drought-tolerant plants as well-rotted garden compost or organic matter can act as a sponge, helping to retain moisture below ground through periods of low rainfall.”