UK summers are getting hotter and drier, and the plants that thrived in British gardens twenty years ago do not always cope as well as they used to. Drought tolerant plants are not just a trend. They are a practical response to changing conditions, and they happen to include some of the most beautiful and structural species available to UK gardeners.
A well-chosen selection of drought tolerant plants will look good through a dry spell without daily watering, reduce your water consumption, and lower the maintenance your garden demands. Here are seven species we use regularly in our planting schemes.
1. Lavender (Lavandula)
Lavender handles drought better than almost any other garden plant because its Mediterranean origins mean it evolved in exactly these conditions. It thrives in full sun, well-drained soil and does not want to be fed or fussed over. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) varieties like Hidcote and Munstead are the hardiest for UK winters. The intermedia types like Grosso are larger and more vigorous but slightly less frost-tolerant in exposed positions.
One trim after flowering in late summer, cutting back the spent stems and a third of the current growth, keeps the plant compact and productive. Skip the trim and it becomes woody and leggy within a couple of years. Lavender is also one of the best pollinator plants available, attracting bees from the moment it opens.
2. Sedum (Stonecrop)
Sedums store water in their fleshy leaves, which makes them almost impossible to kill through drought. The tall varieties like Autumn Joy and Matrona produce flat pink flower heads in late summer that age to coppery brown through autumn and hold their structure into winter. The low-growing types like Sedum acre and Sedum spurium spread across gravel, walls and gaps in paving, covering bare ground and suppressing weeds.
They need nothing beyond well-drained soil and sun. No feeding, no staking, no attention. Cut the tall varieties back to ground level in late February when new shoots appear. That is the full extent of their maintenance requirements.
3. Echinacea (Coneflower)
image credit: Lukasnursery
Echinacea purpurea is a reliable, long-flowering perennial that handles dry soil well once established. The classic variety has pink petals with a prominent orange-brown cone, though newer cultivars come in white, yellow and deep red. Magnus and White Swan are the most dependable for UK gardens.
The seed heads that remain after flowering are architectural in their own right and provide food for goldfinches through autumn and winter. In heavy clay that stays wet over winter, add grit to the planting hole to improve drainage around the roots. Echinacea will tolerate drought but it will not tolerate waterlogging.
4. Agapanthus (African Lily)
image credit: Kew Gardens
Agapanthus brings a Mediterranean quality to UK gardens with its bold, spherical flower heads in blue or white. It loves full sun and well-drained soil and copes well with dry periods once its fleshy roots are established.
Deciduous varieties like Agapanthus Headbourne Hybrids are the hardiest for UK conditions and will survive most winters in the ground without protection. Evergreen types are less frost-tolerant and are better grown in large pots that can be moved to a sheltered spot in the coldest months. In containers, agapanthus actually flowers better when slightly pot-bound, so resist the urge to repot too frequently.
5. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
image credit: Campbell family nursery
Rosemary is a tough, aromatic evergreen shrub that handles drought, poor soil and neglect with equal ease. It makes an excellent low hedge, a structural border plant or a container specimen. The blue flowers in spring attract early-season bees, and the foliage is useful in the kitchen year-round.
Miss Jessopp’s Upright is the best variety for hedging, growing tall and narrow. Prostratus is a trailing form that works well spilling over walls or the edges of raised beds. Rosemary hates heavy, wet soil more than it hates drought, so if your garden sits on clay, grow it in a raised bed or container with added grit for drainage.
6. Stipa (Feather Grass)
image credit: Hcg plants
Stipa grasses bring movement and light to a planting scheme in a way nothing else can. Stipa tenuissima (Mexican feather grass) is the finest-textured, creating a shimmering, hair-like effect that catches every breeze. Stipa gigantea (golden oats) is much larger, producing tall golden flower stems that glow when backlit by low sun.
Both are drought tolerant once established and need almost no maintenance beyond a tidy-up in spring. Stipa tenuissima can self-seed prolifically, which is either a bonus or a nuisance depending on your tolerance. If you want to contain it, deadhead before the seeds ripen in late summer.
7. Verbena bonariensis
image credit: Karolina MI
Verbena bonariensis produces clusters of purple flowers on tall, wiry stems from midsummer well into autumn. The stems are so fine that you can see through them, which means it works beautifully planted in front of lower plants rather than always at the back of a border. Butterflies are drawn to it in large numbers.
It is technically short-lived but self-seeds generously, so once you have it, you will always have it. It handles dry conditions well and thrives in poor soil. In cold or exposed gardens it may not survive the winter, but the self-sown seedlings will replace it the following spring.
Designing a Drought Tolerant Garden
image credit: House Designer
Individual drought tolerant plants work well on their own, but they work better as part of a designed scheme where heights, textures, flowering times and colours are planned together. A few principles make the difference between a collection of tough plants and a garden that looks genuinely beautiful.
Improve drainage before planting. Drought tolerant species hate sitting in wet soil more than they hate being dry. Adding grit or gravel to heavy clay soil makes a bigger difference to their long-term health than any amount of watering.
Mulch generously. A 5 to 8cm layer of gravel or bark over the soil surface retains moisture during dry periods and suppresses weeds. Gravel mulch suits Mediterranean-style planting particularly well and keeps the crown of the plant dry, which prevents rot.
Group plants with similar water needs together. This is the most effective water-saving technique in any garden. Plants that want dry conditions planted alongside plants that want moisture means one group is always unhappy. Keep them separate and both thrive with less intervention.
A Garden That Looks After Itself
image credit: House Designer
A drought tolerant garden is not a compromise. It is a garden designed intelligently for the conditions it actually faces. The species listed here are among the most beautiful, structural and rewarding plants you can grow in a UK garden, and they happen to need very little water to do it.
Our planting plan service specifies every species for your specific soil, light and conditions. If you want a full garden redesign that includes layout, surfaces and drought tolerant planting together, our garden design packages cover the whole process. Book a free consultation to talk through your garden.
About the author
Senior Garden Designer
Mirela holds a degree in Garden Design and RHS Level 2 and 3 Diplomas in Horticulture, Garden Planning and Construction. With seven years of experience, she designs imaginative landscapes that beautifully blend natural elements, with a commitment to excellence that shines through in every project she takes on.