Drought tolerant plants for every layer of the garden
Among the flowers that can take blazing sun, lavender, Russian sage and Salvia ‘Caradonna’ will settle into the driest bed, and in autumn sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ takes over with flower heads that turn from pink to deep red. Of the ornamental grasses, blue fescue, blue oat grass and autumn moor grass all tolerate drought, and so do three shrubs: the purple-leaved smoke bush, the hardy hibiscus, which flowers from early summer into autumn, and the yellow-flowered shrubby cinquefoil.
There are fewer evergreens: among drought tolerant evergreen shrubs, an established Photinia ‘Red Robin’ copes with summer drought, while the ground-hugging creeping juniper ‘Wiltonii’ thrives even on a sunny, stony slope. For hedging, the native field maple and wild privet are drought tolerant too, as is the thorny firethorn, and privet also handles chalky or sandy soil and city air.
Hedging plantDrought tolerant
Field maple
Acer campestre
An undemanding native maple that you can grow as a tall clipped hedge or as a smaller shade tree, and Hungarian measurements in hill country show that it copes well with drought too.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Hedging plantDrought tolerant
Wild privet
Ligustrum vulgare
A native hedging plant that knits together quickly and copes well with chalky and sandy soils, summer drought and urban conditions.
The berries are harmful to both people and dogs if eaten, and it readily self-seeds in the wilder corners of the garden.
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Hedging plantDrought tolerant
Scarlet firethorn
Pyracantha coccinea
Makes an almost impenetrable thorny hedge or boundary, with white flowers in spring and orange-red berries in autumn.
The branches are thorny, the berries are not edible, and it can be attacked by the bacterial disease fireblight.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Hedging plantDrought tolerant
Photinia 'Red Robin'
Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin'
An evergreen hedging plant whose spring shoots unfurl in bronze and bright red, and once established it copes with summer drought as well.
Its hardiness is borderline and it may die back in a harsh winter, so give it a sheltered spot, for example against a south- or west-facing wall of the house.
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Small garden tree / shade treeDrought tolerant
Manna ash
Fraxinus ornus
A native, sun-loving shade tree that copes well with chalky soil and summer drought, which makes it a good choice for a dry, sunny garden.
Its branches are brittle and may snap in strong wind or freezing rain.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Small garden tree / shade treeDrought tolerant
Tatarian maple
Acer tataricum
A small native maple that tolerates drought and clay soil and turns yellow and red in autumn, so it can be a good shade tree even in a smaller garden.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Small garden tree / shade treeDrought tolerant
Silver lime
Tilia tomentosa
The most drought-tolerant of the limes, it also copes well with urban conditions and grows into a broad, spreading shade tree in a large garden.
It draws huge numbers of bees when in flower and in time reaches 15-30 metres, so don't plant it over a terrace or in a small garden.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Small garden tree / shade treeDrought tolerant
Globe Norway maple
Acer platanoides 'Globosum'
A compact shade tree with a dense, rounded crown whose leaves turn yellow in autumn, so it suits front gardens and street frontages well.
Its roots run shallow, so over time it can lift a nearby path or driveway.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ornamental shrubDrought tolerant
Smoke bush 'Royal Purple'
Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'
A shrub with burgundy foliage that is covered in summer with smoky, pinkish-purple plumes, and copes well with drought and poor, stony soil.
It does not like waterlogged, poorly drained soil, so on heavy ground make sure the drainage is good.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ornamental shrubDrought tolerant
Shrubby cinquefoil
Potentilla fruticosa (syn. Dasiphora fruticosa)
A low shrub that flowers yellow from early summer to September, works well as a low hedge, and tolerates drought, clay soil and urban conditions.
The fruit is not edible, and in humid summer heat it may grow less vigorously.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ornamental shrubDrought tolerant
Hardy hibiscus
Hibiscus syriacus
A large-flowered shrub that blooms from early summer into autumn and handles summer heat, drought and city air well.
The species self-seeds freely, so keep an eye out for seedlings popping up around the garden.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ornamental shrubDrought tolerant
Wayfaring tree
Viburnum lantana
A large shrub native to Europe that copes well with dry, chalky soil, flowers white in spring and bears fruit ripening from red to black in summer, and you can plant it as a screening hedge.
The fruit is not fit for human consumption.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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PerennialDrought tolerant
English lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
A fragrant, sun-loving perennial that positively thrives on poor, chalky or sandy soil and in summer drought.
It can die in waterlogged soil, and it attracts lots of bees when in flower.
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PerennialDrought tolerant
Catmint
Nepeta × faassenii
An aromatic perennial with grey-green leaves that bears lavender-blue flowers from late spring to September and puts up with dry soil.
It attracts lots of bees, so think twice before planting it next to seating.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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PerennialDrought tolerant
Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A purplish-pink perennial with a long summer flowering season that tolerates drought and clay or shallow, stony soil, and draws in pollinating insects.
If you leave the seed heads on the plant, it self-seeds readily.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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PerennialDrought tolerant
Salvia 'Caradonna'
Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'
A perennial with blue-violet flower spikes that blooms from late spring to early summer and then sporadically again, and it can ride out spells of summer drought without watering.
It may self-seed where it grows, and it attracts lots of bees.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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PerennialDrought tolerant
Sedum 'Herbstfreude'
Hylotelephium 'Herbstfreude' (syn. Sedum 'Herbstfreude')
A fleshy-leaved perennial whose flat flower heads turn from pink to deep red in autumn, and it copes well with blazing sun and drought.
It can rot in wet, poorly drained soil, and it flops open in shade or in overly rich soil.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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PerennialDrought tolerant
Fern-leaf yarrow 'Gold Plate'
Achillea filipendulina 'Gold Plate'
A tall perennial with golden-yellow, plate-like flower heads and aromatic leaves that flowers all summer long in a sunny, dry spot.
The tall flower stems often need staking, and it dislikes heavy clay that stays wet in winter.
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PerennialDrought tolerant
Russian sage
Salvia yangii (syn. Perovskia atriplicifolia)
A perennial with aromatic grey-green foliage and lavender-blue flowers from summer into autumn, which copes well with dry, chalky soil.
It tends to flop open as it gets older.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ornamental grassDrought tolerant
Blue fescue
Festuca glauca
A low ornamental grass that forms dense, bluish-grey, hedgehog-like tufts and looks its best in sunny, dry spots.
It is short-lived, so it is worth rejuvenating it by division every two or three years.
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Ornamental grassDrought tolerant
Blue oat grass
Helictotrichon sempervirens
An ornamental grass that forms a steel-blue, spiky clump, grows much larger than blue fescue and shows its best colour on dry soil.
In humid weather it can be attacked by rust, and in wet, poorly drained soil its crown may rot.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ornamental grassDrought tolerant
Autumn moor grass
Sesleria autumnalis
A low ornamental grass with yellowish-green leaves and silvery-white flower spikes in autumn, which you can plant as ground cover under trees or in a sunny spot.
It will not tolerate acidic soil and is less keen on humid summer heat.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ground coverDrought tolerant
Creeping thyme
Thymus serpyllum
A fragrant, carpet-forming ground cover for the sunniest, driest parts of the garden that grows even in shallow, stony soil.
In wet, poorly drained soil it suffers from root rot, so don't mulch it.
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Ground coverDrought tolerant
Lesser periwinkle
Vinca minor
An evergreen ground cover with lavender-blue flowers that quickly forms a dense carpet, even in shade and dry soil.
It spreads vigorously and can creep into the lawn and neighbouring beds.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ground coverDrought tolerant
Bigroot cranesbill
Geranium macrorrhizum
Dense, weed-suppressing ground cover with aromatic leaves and purplish-pink flowers, and one of the few plants that cope with dry shade.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ground coverDrought tolerant
Creeping juniper 'Wiltonii'
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' (syn. 'Blue Rug')
A silvery-blue evergreen that hugs the ground, thrives even on a dry, stony bank in blazing sun, and helps to hold the soil in place.
Harmful if eaten and may cause skin allergies, and junipers can act as alternate hosts for rust diseases of apples and pears.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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Ground coverDrought tolerant
Caucasian stonecrop
Sedum spurium (syn. Phedimus spurius)
A low ground cover with succulent leaves for the driest sunny spots, which gets by even on poor soil and whose leaves turn burgundy in autumn.
It does not like being overwatered.
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ClimberDrought tolerant
Common ivy
Hedera helix
An evergreen climber that clings to walls and fences with its aerial roots without any support, and in shade you can use it as ground cover as well.
Harmful if eaten and may irritate the skin; over time it grows so heavy that it can widen existing cracks and work its way into gutters and under roof tiles, so cut it back regularly.
- Sandy
- Loam
- Clay
- Chalky, stony
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